Unbreakable Bonds
by Itachi-21
Summary: Kamikaze Yui, Kyouraku Shunsui, and Ukitake Jushiro have been friends since they were in the Shin'o Academy. Over time, stronger feelings develop, but there are always things that get in the way of love. *Under reconstruction*
1. Hollow Invasion Arc: Ichi

"Kyouraku Shunsui and Ukitake Juushirou. You two are now the new captains of the Eighth and Thirteenth Divisions," Head Captain Yamamoto declared.

Shunsui and Juushirou exchanged excited glances. After all that hard work they put in, they were finally captains. And to be promoted together, of all things! Even so, things would have been even more satisfying if a third person had also accepted the captain's promotion…

And it just so happened that this person was waiting for them as Shunsui and Juushirou left the First Division's barracks. She was leaning against the railing, staring out at Seireitei, but as the two men approached, she turned and grinned at them.

"Congratulations, you two!" she said. Shunsui and Juushirou smiled back.

"Thank you, Yui-chan," Shunsui replied, touching the edge of his sakkat.

Kamikaze Yui was also best friends with Juushirou and Shunsui. She had flaming red hair and jade green eyes. Based on looks alone, she was already very popular with men, but throw in her unique personality and the male population will be churning out stalkers left and right. Many men had asked her out, but she had rejected all of them, something that Shunsui constantly teased her for.

The three of them had met in Juushirou's and Shunsui's third year at the Shin'o Academy. Yui had ended up in their class, having skipped two grades. Since their first meeting, the three have been practically inseparable, always training together and helping each other improve.

Then, all three of them received requests to become captains. Shunsui and Juushirou accepted immediately, but Yui had refused. When asked why, she would say she wasn't ready for such responsibility. Later, she told Shunsui and Juushirou that she didn't want to have to do paperwork. Of course, the latter was just a joke as Yui has always shown indifference to paperwork.

"You two are going to be really busy now, aren't you?" Yui guessed as the trio walked away from the First Division's barracks, "Although I admit that the haoris look good on you."

Before Juushirou or Shunsui could reply, someone behind them shouted, "Shishou!" Startled, the three turned around just in time for a slightly shorter, brown-haired girl to run into Yui, sending the latter falling to the ground with an audible _oof._

"Shishou, I've been looking everywhere for you!" the brown-haired girl cried, still hugging the life out of Yui, "Kotsubari-taicho needs to talk to you about captaincy. I've been running around Seireitei since dawn!"

"Shina, I can't…breathe!" Yui choked, ignoring Shunsui's and Juushirou's laughter. Shina immediately released Yui.

"S-Sorry!" she apologized, blushing and looking flustered.

Yaguki Shina was Yui's apprentice. When Shunsui, Juushirou, and Yui were still academy students, one of their illegal nighttime outings had led them to Shina, who was rescued from a Hollow by the three of them. Unsurprisingly, that was the day (or night) that she began to idolize Yui, vowing to become a Shinigami just like the redhead. She was currently an unseated officer of the Fifth Division, but under Yui's tutelage, she was quickly progressing into a formidable Shinigami. It would be very soon that Shina unlocked her Zanpakuto's Shikai. Trustworthy and loyal, Shina was already much respected, despite being unseated.

"It's all right," Yui waved off her apprentice's apology, "Is Kotsubari-taicho in her office?"

"I think so, Shishou," Shina replied before bowing to Shunsui and Juushirou, "Ukitake-taicho. Kyouraku-taicho."

"Hey, what's with the sudden formality?" Shunsui joked, "Even though we're captains, you can still address us as you did before."

"But…!" Shina protested.

"We don't want to feel as though our promotion has turned us into strangers, Shina-san," Juushirou explained, "Like Kyouraku said, just address us as usual."

"O-Okay then. Thank you, Kyouraku-san. Ukitake-san."

"Well, I should go find Kotsubari-taicho now," Yui sighed, "You two should go meet your new divisions. Come on, Shina! Catch you two later." She walked off with Shina next to her, her red hair billowing slightly in the breeze.

"Let's go, Ukitake," Shunsui clapped a hand on Juushirou's shoulder, "We have our squads to face."

* * *

"Kotsubari-taicho!" Yui sang as she opened the door to her captain's office, "You wanted to speak to me?"

"Ah, yes," Kotsubari confirmed. Kotsubari Rin, captain of the Fifth Division, was a medium-height, black-haired woman with dark grey eyes. Her hair was always tied up in a loose bun and there were some creases around her eyes and mouth that were showing as a sign of old age. She was prone to sickness as well, which was something that Yui constantly worried about.

"Are you okay, taicho?" Yui asked with concern, "Has Unohana-taicho sent you your medicine yet?"

Kotsubari smiled. "I received it about half an hour before you got here, Yui-chan. There's no need to worry." She broke off as a bout of coughing interrupted her.

"You sure?"

"Yes," Kotsubari answered firmly, "Please, Yui."

Yui dropped the subject reluctantly. "Understood, taicho. My apologies."

Kotsubari nodded absentmindedly. "I heard that you rejected the captain's position that was offered."

"That is true." Yui prepared herself mentally for the questions that Kotsubari was probably going to ask.

To her surprise, Kotsubari merely sighed and said, "I'm not going to ask why you refused. I'm sure you have a good reason. However, I just want you to know that I think you would make a great captain."

"Kotsubari-taicho, it almost sounds as though you're trying to get rid of me!" Yui joked. Kotsubari laughed.

"I'd never want to get rid of you, Yui-chan, but I do want what's best for you," Fifth Division's captain explained. "The Ninth Division needs to get a new captain as soon as possible."

"If it's Ninth Division, then a better captain would be Muguruma Kensei," Yui said. Kotsubari raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"Well, Kensei's been in the Ninth Division since he was first assigned to a squad. He knows that division better than me. The only squad I've ever been in is the Fifth Division," Yui reasoned.

"You are very popular amongst all of the Shinigami. They'd accept you."

"Kensei is actually quite popular, too," Fifth Division's lieutenant, Hirako Shinji, said, "Taicho, if Yui doesn't want to be a captain, then you shouldn't pressure her."

"Hey, Baldy!" Yui waved at Shinji.

"Shut up! Why do you and Hiyori keep calling me 'Baldy' when I'm NOT bald?" Shinji grabbed a handful of his hair, "See?"

"It's because your reaction is funny."

"Shut UP!"

* * *

Shunsui stood in front of the Eighth Division nervously. All of the members of the division were staring at him, and he stared right back. He couldn't remember what he was supposed to say to them, and the fact that the lieutenant, Yadomaru Lisa, was staring at him critically wasn't helping.

He cleared his throat. "So starting today, I'm going to be your new captain. My name is Kyouraku Shunsui, and I look forward to working with you all!"

There was a brief silence before the Shinigami of the Eighth Division began clapping. Shunsui let out a silent sigh of relief, and Lisa stepped forward.

"As your lieutenant, I will work with you to make the Eighth Division strong," she promised.

Shunsui smiled. "Arigato, Lisa-chan."

After some time, all the members of the Eighth Division dispersed, leaving Shunsui to head for his office. Upon entering, the first thing he saw was the pile of paperwork on his desk. Sighing, he plopped himself down in his chair, pulling the top sheet of paper towards him and picking up the brush. He sat in that position for a few minutes, staring at the paperwork blankly. Sighing again, he pushed himself away from his desk and headed for the roof of the barracks, where he laid on his back, pulled his sakkat over his face, and decided to sleep the day away.

After a few hours, he was woken up by a sudden and sharp pain in his nose. He sat up, holding his face, and saw Lisa kneeling next to him, a book in her hand.

"First day as a captain, and you're slacking off already?" she asked bluntly. Shunsui grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Ah, Lisa-chan. How can you stand paperwork?"

"I don't," Lisa said, "But it must be done. Go do it."

"If you get me a bottle of sake, I'll do it," Shunsui bribed.

"Do it first. Then I'll get you your sake."

* * *

"Does this division have a lieutenant?" Juushirou asked the Thirteenth Squad.

"No, taicho. Are you going to appoint one?" Someone from the squad answered.

The captain of the Thirteenth Division shook his head. "Not now. I'll wait until I know you all better. Then I'll choose a lieutenant. In the meantime, I'd like the Third Seat to take care of all the lieutenant duties."

"Understood, sir."

Juushirou headed for the captain's office, bracing himself to face the paperwork that he knew was bound to be on his desk. However, his desk was perfectly clean when he arrived. Not a single sheet of paperwork in sight. _The Third Seat must have taken care of it before I got here,_ he guessed. He felt glad that he had such reliable subordinates, but he also felt a little guilty at the same time for having those subordinates do his work for him.

Suddenly, he felt the need to cough and quickly covered his mouth. Holding onto the desk for support, he soon fell into a coughing bout. Luckily, there was no blood, but the coughing was harsh enough to worry others.

"Taicho!" A woman had come into his office. She handed him a piece of cloth. Juushirou held it to his mouth, hacking into it instead of his hand. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Juushirou rasped, his throat feeling as though there were thorns scraping it, "Thank you, uh..."

"Oh, I'm the Third Seat, Nabi Furin," she introduced herself, "I apologize for coming in without your permission, but I heard you coughing and thought that I should make sure you're okay."

"Ah, thank you for your concern. I'm okay now."

Furin hesitated for a moment. Then, she bowed and said, "If you say so, taicho."

Juushirou tapped his desk. "Are you the one who did all of my paperwork?"

"Yes, Ukitake-taicho. I thought that as a new captain, you'd rather spend your first day getting to know your new division. That, and I had nothing else to do." Furin smiled.

"Thank you very much, Nabi-san," Juushirou thanked her, "And you're right. I'd much rather spend the day with the rest of the squad."

* * *

**_Yay! First chapter done, and four OCs introduced: Yui, Shina, Kotsubari, and Furin. I actually created Kotsubari and Furin as I was writing, but I had Yui and Shina all planned out when I started this. I hope you guys like this, and reviews/follows/favorites are all welcome! :)_**


	2. Ni

"Shishou!"

Yui stopped and turned around to see Shina running towards her. "Hey, Shina. What's up?"

"Kotsubari-taicho says that she's not feeling very well today, and she wants you to train the new recruits from the academy."

Yui's eyebrows shot up. "Taicho isn't feeling well?"

Shina's eyes widened as she realized what Yui was about to do. "Oh, she's just not feeling well enough to train the recruits. She's not bedridden or anything...Shishou!"

Yui walked as fast as she could without attracting too much attention. The last thing Captain Kotsubari wanted was for the entire Fifth Squad to start worrying about her health. She thought that if the squad worried about her too much, then they would be too distracted from their duties, and she didn't want the work quality of the Fifth Division to decline because of her.

As Yui turned the corner, she saw Shinji leaving the captain's office. "Hey, Shinji!"

"Huh?" The lieutenant paused.

"Is taicho okay?" Yui asked, coming to a sudden halt so that Shina bumped into her from behind.

"Yeah. It's just a bit of coughing and wheezing, but it's not so bad that she has to stay in bed. You know that she wants you to get the new recruits organized, right? I'd do it, but I have to finish Captain's paperwork for her."

"Of course. I'll be keeping an eye out for a potential Fourth Seat as well," Yui promised. Suddenly, a Shinigami of the Fifth Division ran up to the three, panting.

"What's wrong?" Shinji asked, bracing himself for some bad news.

"Oh, nothing's wrong, Lieutenant Hirako, but I bring a message for Third Seat Kamikaze," the Shinigami explained.

Yui blinked. "Okay. Shoot."

The Shinigami stood as straight as he could. "Yes, ma'am. The two new captains, Kyouraku-taicho and Ukitake-taicho, wish to speak to you as soon as possible."

"Juushirou and Shunsui? Alright, send them in," Yui ordered. The Shinigami bowed and ran off. Shinji and Yui stared after him.

"You know, I'm starting to think that the people here like you more than me," Shinji muttered.

Yui laughed. "What makes you say that?"

"I never have anyone asking to see me as soon as possible," Shinji pointed out.

"You have Hiyori."

Shinji shuddered. "She only wants to beat me up. I'd rather she didn't ask to see me." He started walking away. "Go organize the new recruits now, and find a Fourth Seat, if possible. I'm going to tackle the mountain of paperwork that's bound to be on my desk." He waved before disappearing around the corner.

"Shina, wait here for Juu and Shun, okay?" Yui asked.

Shina nodded. "Yes, Shishou."

* * *

"Ukitake-taicho! Kyouraku-taicho!"

Juushirou and Shunsui turned to see the Shinigami messenger returning. The messenger bowed to them and said, "Sir! Kamikaze-san told me to take you to her."

"Shall we go, Ukitake?" Shunsui asked lazily.

Juushirou nodded. "Of course." He turned to the messenger. "Please lead us to her."

"Yes, taicho." With that, the messenger turned and walked back into the Fifth Squad's quarters. Juushirou and Shunsui followed close behind. As they approached the captain's office, the three saw Shina leaning against the wall. She stood up straight when she saw them coming.

"Yaguki-san!" The messenger exclaimed, "Where is Third Seat Kamikaze?"

"She went to deal with the new recruits," Shina replied with a respectful nod to the two captains, "I will take over from here, Gari-san. You may head back to your duties."

"Y-Yes, Yaguki-san." With a quick bow, Gari left Juushirou and Shunsui to Shina.

"Yui-chan has to deal with the new recruits?" Shunsui asked, sounding disappointed, "Ukitake and I could come back later if she is too busy now."

"It's fine, Kyouraku-san," Shina reassured him, "If Shishou thought that this was a bad time, then she would have asked Gari-san to tell you to come back another time." With that said, she took the two captains through a series of hallways. Both Juushirou and Shunsui ended up forgetting the route that they came from after the tenth turn, although neither of them were willing to admit it.

When the three of them finally arrived at the outdoors training grounds, they could hear Yui speaking to the new recruits. "...This is the Fifth Division, and there are a couple of things that are expected from all of you."

Juushirou, Shunsui, and Shina snuck around the edge quietly, making their way to the back of the new recruits.

Yui paced up and down in front of the group. "First of all, it is expected that you respect everyone else, no matter who they are. There will be punishment for lack of respect, so be warned. Second, never say the words 'I can't do it.' If I hear anyone say those words, I will 'volunteer' you for a training session with the captain of the Eleventh Division, the 9th Kenpachi. Am I understood?"

"Yes!" the new recruits shouted together.

"And one last thing: you are expected to do your best at all times, not just for the Fifth Division, but for the entire Soul Society. Clear?"

"Yes, Third Seat Kamikaze!"

"Good. Now I want you all to split into pairs. Each pair will have a little sparring match in the center of this field, where I can examine your skills," Yui commanded. The newbies immediately began to divide themselves up. However, there was one young man who didn't have a partner.

"You can fight me," Yui told him, "May I have your name?"

"Aizen Sousuke, ma'am."

"How long has it been since we've seen Yui-chan fight?" Shunsui whispered to Juushirou.

The white-haired captain shrugged. "A few years, I think."

"A few years since what?"

Juushirou and Shunsui turned to see Yui standing behind them, grinning. "Oh, nothing important, Yui-chan," Shunsui smiled, "We just don't get to see you fight very often, so we're looking forward to seeing your spar."

Yui chuckled and sat down next to Juushirou. "That's because I haven't had to draw my sword for the past few years. My zanpakuto's been nothing but decoration." She patted her katana, which was strapped to her back.

The four of them sat together, watching as each pair did their short spar. Most of the new recruits' skills were average, something to be expected. So far, Yui hadn't seen anyone with enough skill to be Fourth Seat. However, the fifteenth sparring pair consisted of a huge, mean-looking guy and a kind-looking young man. They began their spar, and after a few rounds, Shina leaned in to whisper into Yui's ear.

"Shishou, it's obvious that the big guy would be better suited for the Eleventh Division. He's absolutely ruthless," she murmured.

Yui remained silent for a while before saying, "I agree with you, Shina, but I'm not going to interfere with the fight just yet."

"Why not?"

"It would seem as though I am favoring the smaller man. If things start looking very ugly, then I'll stop them," Yui promised.

Pretty soon, though, the smaller man ended up on the ground. "I-I yield."

The bigger man sneered, and instead of stopping the spar, he raised his fist to attack his opponent again.

Quick as a flash, Yui clapped her hands together and shouted, "Bakudo No. 63: Sajo Sabaku!" In an instant, the larger man found his arms bound to his sides by a yellow chain. He let out a snarl of fury and glared at the redhead.

"Why are you holding me back, Kamikaze-san?"

"The fight is over. Your opponent has recognized defeat." Yui's eyes narrowed dangerously, "Why do you still attack him?"

"The fight isn't over until one side is dead_."_

"That is not the case here. Your sparring partner is a comrade, and you attempted to kill him. That is unacceptable."

"So what are you gonna do about it?"

"I will be reporting this to the captain. I'm sure she will be able to come up with a suitable punishment," Yui said coldly, "In the meantime..." She pointed her index finger at the man. "...Bakudo No. 61: Rikujokoro!"

Six thin but wide beams of light slammed into the man's midsection, rendering him immobile. "Damn you!" he cursed.

Yui ignored him. She addressed Shina instead. "Please heal his wounds. Then we shall continue with the sparring matches." She nodded at the young man who was still sitting on the ground, looking shocked.

"Hai, Shishou." Shina obeyed, using a healing Kido to help the man recuperate.

"Alright everyone! Carry on; next pair," Yui shouted, oblivious to the frightened and awestruck stares she was getting.

* * *

**_Keep the reviews rolling, people!_**


	3. San

The rest of the spars passed without much incident, other than the fact that the new recruits seemed to be much more respectful and slightly fearful of Yui. Shina had struck up a conversation with the man she healed, learning that his name was Ogido Harunobu. It turned out that Harunobu never really liked to fight with others, and when he talked about the Fourth Division, his eyes would light up like stars. Yui made a mental note to discuss transferring him over to Unohana Retsu's squad with both Harunobu and Kotsubari. As for the Shinigami who was still bound by two of Yui's Kido spells, he would most likely to punished and sent over to the Eleventh Division afterwards.

"You ready, Aizen-san?" Yui asked the brown-haired man.

"Yes, Kamikaze-san," he answered. Yui nodded and the two of them stepped into the middle of the field. Silence immediately fell on the gathered group of newbies, since they were all looking forward to seeing how skilled the Third Seat of the Fifth Division is.

"Remember: no releasing your zanpakuto," Yui reminded Aizen, who nodded and unsheathed his katana. He held it vertically in front of him with his feet spread out and his knees bent. His eyes were focused on Yui, who hadn't taken out her sword yet.

"Whenever you're ready," she told him. He swiftly ran forward, katana raised. Yui waited until the last second before ducking under Aizen's arm, grabbing his right wrist, and raising her right foot to deliver a powerful kick to his midsection. He took the blow, skidding a few feet backwards and used a Shunpo to appear behind her. Taking advantage of his position, he swung his katana at Yui's back, but the latter merely used Shunpo to dodge and reappeared a couple yards away.

_This guy is on a different level than the rest of the newbies. _Yui thought. _If he is suitable for Fourth Seat, he should at least be able to make me draw my sword. _She ducked one one Aizen's assaults to her head and evaded a series of jabs from his sword. "Hado No. 31: Shakkaho!"

An orb of fire flew from her palm, aimed at Aizen's chest. He reacted swiftly, bending himself backwards so that the Kido spell flew past him. Unfortunately, Yui took this chance to sweep his feet out from underneath him. He fell onto his back and rolled away from Yui, just in time to avoid getting punched in the face. Yui's fist ended up smashing the ground instead.

Shina scowled. "Shishou holds back more on me than on Aizen-san," she muttered. Suddenly, something moved at the edge of her vision. She turned her head to see three Hell Butterflies fluttering their way onto the field. Two of them headed towards Shunsui and Juushirou. They looked surprised, but allowed the insects to land on their fingers. Meanwhile, the third butterfly flew over to Yui, who looked more startled than Shunsui and Juushirou.

"Me, too?" she wondered as she allowed the Hell Butterfly to land on her pointer finger. The new recruits watched apprehensively as the three of them received their messages.

"_Attention," _the message said, "_Report to Yamamoto-soutaicho immediately. There are important matters that need to be addressed." _With that, the Hell Butterflies flew back the way they came.

Shunsui and Juushirou raised their eyebrows before rising to their feet. "Coming, Yui?" Juushirou called.

"Yeah, one second," Yui shouted back. She turned to the new recruits, "Sorry, but something's come up. Aizen-san, we'll have to finish our spar some other time..."

"Naw, I can take over," A voice drawled. Everyone turned to Shinji walking towards the field.

"Baldy! Don't you have paperwork to do?" Yui asked.

A vein popped in Shinji's temple. "STOP CALLING ME BALDY!" he yelled, "And I just finished all the paperwork, so I came to check up on you. Now go see what the Head Captain wants. I can finish this. It's just one more spar, right?"

"Yeah, thanks a lot, Shinji," Yui grinned before returning her attention to the assembled newbies, who were eyeing Shinji nervously, "Everyone, this is your lieutenant, Hirako Shinji. He'll be finishing your spar, Aizen-san. See you all later!" With that being said, she flash-stepped away with Juushirou and Shunsui.

* * *

"Ah, excellent. All here at the same time. Now we don't have to wait for anyone," Yamamoto-soutaicho said.

"What's the matter, Ryuu-sensei?" Yui asked curiously, "It is rare for you to call all three of us here together."

"You're right, Yui. I almost never call the three of you here together, but I'm afraid that this matter is too serious to have you come one-by-one," the Head Captain admitted.

"Oh, boy. Did we do something wrong, Yama-ji?" Shunsui asked, peering at his sensei from underneath his sakkat.

"No, this situation has nothing to do with your lack of self-control," Yamamoto answered bluntly.

_Lack of...self-control? He's talking about all those nighttime outings back at the Shin'o Academy, isn't he?_ Juushirou, Yui, and Shunsui wondered. Yamamoto cleared his throat.

"There have been rumors that a Hollow army is planning to attack Rukongai in three days. I want the three of you to investigate this matter, and if possible, stop the Hollow army," Yamamoto ordered.

"Where in Rukongai, do you know?" Yui questioned.

"West Rukongai."

Juushirou stiffened slightly. West Rukongai was where all of his brothers and sisters lived, and there was a _Hollow army _that intended to attack that area. Since when did Hollows travel in coordinated groups anyway?

"These Hollows...they aren't normal Hollows, are they? If I had to guess, it would most likely be a group of Gillians being led by an Adjucha or a Vasto Lorde," Juushirou reasoned, "Normal Hollows traveling in an organized army is unheard of."

"It's most likely an Adjucha," Yui guessed, "Vasto Lordes in Hueco Mundo are so rare that we could count them with our fingers. The chances of a Vasto Lorde being in charge of this invasion is low."

"Yama-ji, will it just be the three of us?" Shunsui asked.

"I will be sending the three of you first. Should you need assistance, you can send a Hell Butterfly," Yamamoto informed them.

"Understood," the trio chorused.

"I will notify your squads of your reason for absence. Meanwhile, you three will leave immediately. Clear?"

"Hai!"

* * *

**_Here's battle data for Kamikaze Yui:  
Offense: 80  
Defense: 90  
Mobility: 100  
Kido/Reiatsu: 100  
Intelligence: 100  
Physical Strength: 50  
Total: 520/600_**

**_More reviews would be nice! ;)_**


	4. Yon

**_This story is currently in the Hollow Invasion Arc, just so you guys know. I'll be saying when the arc changes in the chapter titles._**

* * *

"Are we just going to keep running through West Rukongai until we reach this Hollow army?" Shunsui asked as the three Shinigami left through the West Gate.

"I was thinking that we could get to District 42, and you two could stay with Juu's family while I do a quick scout to see if there are any signs of Hollows," Yui explained, "That way, we don't have to explore the entire Rukongai, and we can make sure Juu's family is alright at the same time."

"That sounds good," Juushirou quickly agreed, "In fact, why don't you scout now, and we can regroup at my family's house?"

Yui glanced at her white-haired friend before nodding. "Alright." She jumped into the air and shouted, "Fly!" A pair of red-feathered wings sprouted from her back, stretching to their fullest length. With a couple of strong flaps, Yui soared high into the sky and vanished within seconds.

Shunsui stared after her. "I will always envy those wings."

Juushirou gave a tense laugh. "You should be glad she chooses to summon them when she needs to. If she kept them there all the time, you'd be overwhelmed with jealousy."

"That's true." Shunsui glanced at his friend. "It'll be okay, Ukitake," he soothed.

Juushirou looked over at the Eighth Division's captain. There was a look of real concern and a desire to reassure in the brown-haired man's eyes. Juushirou relaxed slightly. If he got too worked up, his disease would take over, and he would pretty much be rendered useless. "Thanks, Kyouraku," he said gratefully.

Shunsui grinned before continuing in a more playful tone, "Man, I'm really looking forward to seeing Sanna-chan and Kikyo-chan again. I can't wait!"

"Why am I not surprised that my brothers' names weren't mentioned?" Juushirou muttered.

* * *

It was already noon when Juushirou and Shunsui finally arrived in the 42nd District of West Rukongai. That was pretty early, considering that they had left the Court of Pure Souls at almost midmorning. The moment the two men arrived, Juushirou ran off in the direction of his home. Shunsui took his time, looking left and right as he walked after Juushirou.

_This district is also okay, _he observed. _Looks like the Hollow army, if there is one, hasn't reached here yet. It's still safe for the time being._

"Shunsui-nii!"

Shunsui was brought out of his thoughts in time to brace himself for a giant hug from Juushirou's younger sister, Ukitake Sanna. He hugged her back, chuckling lightly as the rest of the Ukitake family approached them. After a while, Sanna released him and said, "Welcome back, Shunsui-nii! And congratulations on becoming a captain."

"Thank you, Sanna-chan." Shunsui's eyes landed on the only other female in the group. He nodded to Kikyo, "Nice seeing you again, Kikyo-chan, although you're as flat as ever."

"Shut up, Kyouraku!" Kikyo snapped, her cheeks turning red, "And keep your eyes off my chest."

Everyone else laughed loudly, to Kikyo's displeasure.

"Hey, Juushirou," Juushirou's younger brother, Jiro, said, "Where's Yui? Is she here?"

Shunsui and Juushirou exchanged glances. "We'll explain inside," Juushirou promised, walking back to the small, wooden house. Shunsui followed him, and the rest of the Ukitake siblings gave each other confused glances before going in after the tall captain.

"So, what's going on, Nii-san?" the third oldest boy, Rinjoku, asked once everyone was seated around the dining table.

"We're here on a mission," Juushirou began, "We have heard rumors that there is a Hollow army coming to attack West Rukongai, so Genryuusai-sensei sent me, Kyouraku, and Yui to investigate and stop the army. Yui is currently scouting West Rukongai for any signs of Hollow activity, and she will be coming here once she has finished her scout."

"We heard the rumor!" Sanna confirmed, "A man from the 43rd District talked about it approximately a week ago, but we didn't really believe it because there was no proof. Those who did believe it told the 41st District, and I suppose the message was passed on until it reached Seireitei."

"I see," Juushirou murmured, "Have you guys noticed anything strange going on lately?"

All seven Ukitake siblings shook their heads.

"I guess we'll just have to wait for Yui-chan to get back then," Shunsui commented, "In the meantime, I'll take a walk around the district and see if there's anything out of ordinary."

"Yeah," Juushirou agreed, "Want me to go with you?"

Shunsui shook his head. "You stay with your siblings, Ukitake. You haven't seen them since Academy graduation and who knows when you'll get to see them again after this." He slid open the door, "See ya later."

"Okay," Juushirou replied as Shunsui waved his hand and slid the door shut.

* * *

Shunsui ended up staying out until dinnertime. Everyone was seated around the dinner table, but there was still no sign of Kamikaze Yui.

"We should save some for Yui-san," Sanna remembered. She got up and put together another dish for the absent Shinigami, leaving it in the kitchen for the time being.

The rest of the food disappeared pretty quickly, considering that there were seven men at the table. Shunsui was drinking a lot of sake, despite Juushirou's attempts to stop him. He was just about to down his twelfth cup when suddenly, a hand appeared on his wrist, stopping him from bringing the cup to his lips.

Shunsui blinked at the person. "You're finally back, Yui-chan," he gave her a slightly goofy grin, "You took your time."

"You're not getting drunk tonight, Shunsui," Yui declared, taking the cup of sake out of the man's hand, "There are a lot of things that you and Juu need to know."

Juushirou sat up straighter. "Bad news?" he asked the redhead.

Yui transferred her gaze to him. "Very."

Shunsui became sober at once. "Tell us everything, Yui-chan."

Yui let go of Shunsui's wrist and looked around the table. "The rumor is half-true. There is indeed a Hollow army with the intention of attacking West Rukongai."

"What's the false part?" Juushirou inquired.

Yui paused. "The false part is that the army has already attacked."

Juushirou's and Shunsui's eyes widened while the other seven gasped. "But Genryuusai-sensei said that army was going to attack in three days!"

"Yeah, but it looks like the 'when' part got twisted by the time the rumor reached Ryuu-sensei's ears."

"Did you locate the Hollow army?" Shunsui asked.

Yui nodded. "The army is currently in District 63. All districts up to that point have already been completely eradicated, and the Hollows have made sure that nobody from the neighboring districts sees the massacre. That's why the other districts don't get any warning before they're attacked."

"Are they Gillians?"

"No, they're normal Hollows," Yui reassured, "However, they do have a leader who, by the sense of its reiatsu, is either a powerful Adjucha, or a weak Vasto Lorde. The normal Hollows are surprisingly well-trained, too. We'll definitely need back-up. I've already sent the Hell Butterfly."

"If the army is in the 63rd District, why were you so late?" Shunsui asked, "You should have arrived a long time ago."

"That's true," Yui admitted, "I actually went farther than the 63rd District to see all the damage the army did. I landed once in the 80th District. The blood there is about a week old."

"A week?" Juushirou repeated.

"Yeah, which means that it took the army about a week to annihilate seventeen districts. They are currently twenty-one districts away, and if they continue at their original pace, then they'll arrive at this district in just over a week," Yui calculated.

"This is bad," Juushirou murmured, "Whoever heard of normal Hollows being trained as an army?"

"I know..." Yui's voice trailed off as a Hell Butterfly fluttered in through the window. It landed on Yui's finger, and the room fell silent as the message was relayed to the female Shinigami.

After a while, the butterfly flew away and Yui turned to the other occupants of the room. "That was an order from Ryuu-sensei. He says to stay where we are and prepare this district for battle. Reinforcements will arrive tomorrow."

"We have to fight?" Sanna squeaked, her eyes wide with fear. Yui sighed and bowed her head slightly.

"I'm afraid so."

* * *

**_REVIEW_**


	5. Go

A figure crouched on a pointed rock, looking over at District 42 of West Rukongai. Its clawed hands gripped the slippery stone tightly, leaving gouge marks on the sides. It licked its lips slowly, red eyes narrowed as it hunted for the source of the reiatsu that had grabbed its attention earlier. When it finally found it, the creature's mouth curled up into a malicious grin.

"That spiritual pressure smells delicious," it growled, baring its teeth. Suddenly, it sensed something else and its eyes widened.

"There are three of them?" it asked itself. Then, it chuckled, "They all smell so good. Oh, what wonderful reiatsu! Maybe I'll skip the other Districts."

The creature pondered the thought for a moment. "Heh. I think I will come straight to this District. The other Districts only have disgusting, weak souls after all." It turned around, ready to head back to the 63rd District. Smirking to itself, the creature murmured, "Just wait here like good prey...**_Shinigami_!"**

* * *

When Juushirou woke up the next morning, he could tell that Sanna was in the kitchen, and Rinjoku was in the backyard. The rest of the Ukitakes were still in bed, and Shunsui was also asleep. However, Yui didn't seem to be anywhere in the house. Juushirou got out of bed and headed into the kitchen without bothering to change out of the yukata he wore to sleep.

"Good morning, Shiro-nii!" Sanna said as Juushirou as the white-haired captain entered the kitchen.

"Morning, Sanna," Juushirou answered, covering his mouth to yawn, "Do you know where Yui is?"

Sanna shook her head. "Sorry, Shiro-nii. She wasn't in the house when I woke up, and Joku-nii hasn't seen her, either."

"I see." Juushirou hesitated for a moment and then headed for the door. "I'll be back soon, Sanna."

"Wait, Shiro-nii!" Sanna called after him, but Juushirou had already gone. She stared after her older brother worriedly until another person entered the room.

"Don't worry about Ukitake, Sanna-chan," Shunsui peered at the door blearily, "He's always like this when it comes to Yui-chan, but they are both tough Shinigami, so there's no need to fret over them."

"That's not it, Shunsui-nii," Sanna objected, "I wanted to tell Shiro-nii to change out of his yukata before leaving."

_That fool, _Shunsui thought, _He'll start coughing if he gets too cold. Ah well. Yui-chan's out there somewhere and if Ukitake needs help, she'll be able to help him. _"They'll be fine," he drawled as he turned and walked back to his room, "I'm gonna go back to bed." Once he got back in bed, however, he began to search for Juushirou's reiatsu. He quickly found it and sensed that Juushirou was heading towards Yui. "Good," he mumbled before rolling over and closing his eyes.

* * *

Juushirou walked through the still-empty streets of District 42, heading in the direction of where he could sense Yui's reiatsu. He finally found her near the border of the 43rd District, staring into the distance. However, she turned around and smiled as he approached.

"Yo."

"Hey," he greeted, "How long have you been standing here?"

"Quite some time," she answered, "Nobody was awake when I woke up, so I thought I'd come and keep watch in case something happens."

"I see," Juushirou paused, "Are our reinforcements close?"

"I received a Hell Butterfly telling me that they are being held up by a riot in District 9," Yui said, "They'll be here by late afternoon at the earliest." She turned and looked at his apparel. "Aren't you cold?"

"I'm fine," Juushirou reassured, "It's not that cold."

"You should've at least brought your zanpakuto with you," Yui pointed out.

Juushirou laughed sheepishly. "Oops. I guess I forgot."

"A captain forgot his zanpakuto?" Yui gasped playfully, "The horror!"

Juushirou chuckled at Yui's antics. "Do you want to go back to the house now? There doesn't seem to be any Hollows around, and the others are worried about us."

"Yeah, okay," Yui agreed, "And we still have to let everyone in this district know about the threat, although I don't agree with Ryuu-sensei's decision to have the Souls fight."

"I don't, either," Juushirou murmured as the two began to walk back to the Ukitake house, "I highly doubt that making the citizens of Rukongai fight is a decision that Genryuusai-sensei would decide on."

Yui frowned, deep in thought. "You're right. Ryuu-sensei may be...uh...stubborn sometimes, but putting the people we're supposed to be protecting at risk is something he'd rather die than do. Could something have intercepted the Hell Butterfly?"

"It's not likely, being that the Hell Butterflies distinguish Shinigami by the reiatsu, so unless something can copy Genryuusai-sensei's reiatsu perfectly, then the message must have come from Seireitei."

Suddenly, both Yui and Juushirou stopped dead in the middle of the street. The few citizens of District 42 that had just come out gave them questioning glances, which both Shinigami ignored.

"Why didn't we realize sooner, Juu?" Yui whispered.

"Because all of us were too naïve," Juushirou answered just as quietly. Both of them felt an unfamiliar reiatsu appear and turned their gaze to the sky, just in time to see a Garganta open up right in front of them.

"That's...!" Juushirou stared, brown eyes wide.

"Damn!" Yui exclaimed, reaching behind her and unsheathing her zanpakuto just as a wave of Hollows appeared in the Garganta. "They skipped!"

"What do you mean?"

"The Hollow army didn't touch the districts between here and District 63!" Yui told Juushirou, "They came straight here!"

A Hollow lunged at Yui, who swung her sword and sliced it in half with one stroke. "Juu, go to your house and get your zanpakuto. You and Shun try to get all the citizens to safety while I hold off the Hollows. Then you can come back and help me."

"But you'll be facing a Hollow army all alone!" Juushirou protested, firing a Shakkaho at a Hollow.

"My zanpakuto specializes in long-ranged, wide-spread attacks," Yui countered, "I'll be fine for a while. Now, GO!"

She gave Juushirou a firm shove. The white-haired captain cast Yui one last glance before turning and running back to his house as fast as he could. Yui tightened her hold on the handle of her aikuchi* and turned to face the Hollows that were swarming around the 42nd District. She raised her aikuchi so that it was perpendicular to the ground with the tip pointing up at the sky.

"Roar to your heart's content, O Mighty God of the Wind," she chanted, turning her zanpakuto around so that the tip pointed to her left, "Thus the Master of the Skies shall awaken and call forth the double-bladed weapon of legends." She placed her left hand at the base of the blade and swiped her hand quickly across the gleaming silver. "Tsuin Ryuu no Tatsumaki!"

The sword didn't change much other than the fact that the blade became double-edged and perfectly straight, and the handle became hollow. A heavy wind also began to blow in the vicinity, signaling that a zanpakuto had been released. "Shriek!" Yui commanded her zanpakuto as she swung it in the direction of the Hollows that were currently chasing after a woman with a child.

A curving streak of wind burst from Tsuin Ryuu no Tatsumaki's blade, flying towards the Hollow in the lead. It struck its target, cutting the Hollow cleanly in half as well as severely wounding the ones behind it. The Hollows let out mutual howls of pain, and the lead Hollow disintegrated into nothingness.

* * *

Meanwhile, Juushirou had run into his home as though his hair was on fire. Shunsui was waiting for him, his zanpakuto already released into Shikai form. Their eyes met and Shunsui nodded, signaling that he knew what was going on. However, the Ukitake siblings looked scared out of their wits.

"Onii-chan, what's going on?" Kikyo asked shakily.

"The Hollow army decided to skip the other districts and come here instead," Juushirou informed them as calmly as he could as he picked up his zanpakuto, "Yui is currently holding them back so Kyouraku and I can get the citizens of Rukongai to safety."

"Can Yui-san do that by herself?" The youngest boy, Keito, asked fearfully.

"Yes, she can," Juushirou said firmly, convincing himself as well as his siblings, "Let's hurry!"

Shunsui and Juushirou led the seven people out of the house, where they were immediately confronted by a Hollow. The creature let out a shriek and dived for Sanna, who screamed and tried to run but stumbled and tripped. The Hollow wailed again and moved in for the kill, but was stopped by Shunsui, who cut it down the middle. With a final cry, the Hollow dissipated.

"Let's get them to the 41st District, Ukitake!" Shunsui called. Juushirou nodded as Jiro scooped up the hysterical Sanna and the group continued on their way, running as fast as their feet could carry them.

"Why did they come early?" Shunsui muttered as they ran.

"Don't know," Juushirou replied, "But right now, our priority is protecting District 42!"

* * *

Back in District 9, the reinforcements were just finishing up with the last of the rioters. The leader of the patrol, a woman with spiky, hot pink hair and light blue eyes, suddenly jerked her head around. A breeze blew past, making her white haori flap around her ankles.

"What's wrong, taicho?" A member of the reinforcement patrol asked.

"We don't have any more time to waste here, Otoribashi-fukutaicho," the woman announced, "Tell the others that we're heading to District 42 at full speed!"

"Understood." Her vice-captain, a man with long, wavy yellow hair, flash-stepped away to gather the other members of their group. The captain sighed.

"Well, well. Things are getting really heated up, aren't they?" she murmured as another gust of wind lifted her hair, revealing the kanji for three that was on the back of her white captain's haori.

* * *

_An aikuchi is a type of Japanese dagger with no hand guard (tsuba). In Yui's case, the fact that this weapon lacks a hand guard is very important.  
Tsuin Ryuu no Tatsumaki means Twin Dragon Tornadoes, according to Google Translate..._

**_Reviews are greatly appreciated! Even if you don't like the story, I want to hear what you have to say!_**


	6. Roku

"Gah," Shunsui puffed as he batted a Hollow away from Rinjoku, "There're so many Hollows, even out here in the forest."

"They've overrun the entire 42nd District," Juushirou panted as he sliced a Hollow in half with Sogyo no Kotowari, "At this rate, we won't be able to hold up much longer."

Suddenly, Juushirou broke down in a coughing fit. Blood appeared on his hand, dripping through his fingers as he fell to his knees. _Dammit! Not now; stop it! Stop coughing! _he pleaded with his disease desperately. A Hollow shot forward, red eyes gleaming excitedly as it spotted an easy prey.

"Juushirou!" Jiro screamed, hoping against hope that someone or something would come and save his older brother from getting eaten.

As luck would have it, Shunsui jumped between his friend and the Hollow. Swinging his blade, he slashed the Hollow open from head to toe. With an enraged howl, the Hollow disintegrated, only to be replaced by two more.

"You all right, Ukitake?" Shunsui called worriedly as he effortlessly cut down the two Hollows and was set on by another one.

"Y-Yeah." Juushirou staggered to his feet despite the burning feeling in his chest and wiped the blood from his mouth. "Sorry."

"Don't..." Shunsui heaved a Hollow away, "...worry about it."

A Hollow attacked the pair from above, forcing Juushirou and Shunsui to jump in opposite directions. Only once they landed did they realize that they had fallen right into a trap. Shunsui and Juushirou were both surrounded by a large group of Hollows, and neither one was close enough to the rest of Juushirou's family to help if they were attacked.

Sure enough, some Hollows went for the seven, defenseless Souls while Shunsui and Juushirou were attacked at the same time. One of the Hollows grabbed Sanna and lifted her high into the air. The poor Soul screamed, struggling violently to break free of her captor's grip, but the Hollow was too strong. The Hollow opened its mouth and clamped its teeth down on Sanna's neck.

"SANNA!" Juushirou cried in horror as blood splattered the ground. Time froze for a second, and then, the Hollow's head split into two from a near-invisible cut. More blood fell on the ground as the Hollow disintegrated. Sanna was caught by her siblings as a quiet and calm voice spoke from the trees.

"Play...Kinshara."

A long, golden whip topped by a flower shot out from the shadow, successfully destroying the rest of the Hollows that were converging on the group of seven. They disappeared as the whip-wielder stepped into full view. Juushirou's and Shunsui's eyes widened.

"You're...!"

* * *

Yui swung Tsuin Ryuu no Tatsumaki, sending a wind dragon at the line of Hollows. The dragon howled and barreled into the enemy, effectively mowing down a whole bunch of Hollows. Yui paused, assessing the remaining Hollows. _There weren't that many here, _she pondered, _However, I did sense Juu and Shun fighting a while ago. Some of the army must have pursued them while a group stayed behind to fight me. Was separating us part of the Hollow leader's plan?_

Out of nowhere, an unseen force collided with Yui, sending her flying backwards. A Hollow stood behind the redhead, jaws held open and ready to tear off her head. Yui let out a hiss of exasperation and quickly shifted her head so that the Hollow's teeth closed on her shoulder instead. A stabbing pain went down Yui's left arm, but she gritted her teeth and stabbed the point of Tsuin Ryuu no Tatsumaki through the Hollow's mask.

The Hollow released her and vanished. Now, Yui had two injuries: the one on her shoulder and one on her right leg below the knee. The second injury had also been a result of the unseen force catching her off guard. It couldn't be one of the normal Hollows; they didn't have any special abilities to define them. Yui wasn't even certain if it was a Hollow. The opponent had hidden its reiatsu with its body.

"Tch." Yui didn't want to use this technique, seeing as it could end up affecting neighboring districts, but she didn't have much of a choice if she wanted to end the battle quickly. Stabbing the blade of Tsuin Ryuu no Tatsumaki into the ground, she commanded, "Roar, Tsuin Ryuu no Tatsumaki!"

The wind began to swirl, Yui's zanpakuto at the center. Swirling faster and faster, the wind picked up dust, transforming from a simple whirlwind to a destructive tornado. Pulling her sword from the ground, Yui proceeded to wave it around, directing the tornado's path. The remaining normal Hollows were wiped out in seconds, but many houses were also blown down by the force of the deadly tornado.

Once the last Hollow vanished, Yui dispelled the tornado, and Shunsui and Juushirou arrived.

"Oh, Yui-chan. You're alright," Shunsui commented, observing the damage from the battle that just took place.

"You sound as though you expect me to be half-dead," Yui teased, holding her zanpakuto at her side, "There were less Hollows here than I originally thought, so it wasn't so hard. Juu, where are your siblings?"

"The reinforcements turned up," Juushirou explained, "Are you sure you're alright? You're bleeding at your shoulder and your shin."

"I'm fine," Yui reassured, "These injuries were my own fault for underestimating the enemy."

"Damn right," A voice growled behind the female Shinigami. Yui, Juushirou, and Shunsui froze, eyes wide in surprise and shock. A clawed hand had grasped Yui's right wrist so that she couldn't swing Tsuin Ryuu no Tatsumaki. Another hand was wrapped around her neck.

"I knew you were powerful judging by your reiatsu, but you're full of nasty surprises." Yui's captor, a tall, lean Hollow, had materialized behind the redhead.

"Who are you?" Juushirou and Shunsui raised their zanpakuto, ready to attack. The Hollow tightened its hold on Yui's neck.

"Ah, ah, ah. Make one move and I snap her neck. You don't want that, do you?" it threatened, grinning wickedly.

Juushirou and Shunsui hesitated for a second before lowering their swords. The Hollow snickered quietly.

Yui looked at the Hollow out of the corner of her eyes. "You are...?"

"I am Tull-Gray, an Adjucha, and the leader of the Hollow army," the Hollow's grin grew wider, "Nice ta meet ya."

"When did you get here?" Yui questioned, "I haven't sensed your reiatsu before now."

"That's because I didn't want you to see me or sense me," Tull-Gray answered amusedly, "I can make it so that it's almost as if my presence isn't here at all. That's my special ability as an Adjucha."

"So an Adjucha is responsible for this mess? Geez," A feminine voice scoffed. Juushirou and Shunsui turned to see the reinforcement patrol walking towards them. The one who spoke was a woman with hot pink hair and light blue eyes with a white captain's haori draped on her shoulders.

"Who the hell are you?" Tull-Gray snapped, shifting his weight onto his toes and keeping his grip on Yui.

The woman smirked, showing her upper teeth. "Captain of the Third Division...Takamaki Mishiko."

* * *

**_Yaguki Shina's Battle Data  
_****_Offense: 80  
Defense: 70  
Mobility: 90  
Kido/Reiatsu: 80  
Physical Strength: 50  
Intelligence: 80  
Total: 450/600_**

**_Yui's theme song is "Splash Free."_**


	7. Nana

**_Hi, everyone. Itachi-21 here. Just wanted to say thanks for those who have favorite/followed/read this story. There's another story I'm writing that I would like you all to read/favorite/follow/review if you could. It's called "Triple A", and of course, you can find it on my author's page. Thanks, and you guys are awesome! :D_**

* * *

"A captain?" Tull-Gray repeated hesitantly.

Shunsui huffed. "We're captains, too, you know!" He gestured to himself and Juushirou.

"Takamaki-taicho, what are you doing here?" Juushirou asked, "What about...?"

"Your siblings are safe," Takamaki interrupted, "Otoribashi-fukutaicho and the others are looking after them. Unohana-taicho and I are the only ones who came ahead." As she spoke, the black-haired captain of the Fourth Division came out from the shelter of the woods.

Tull-Gray made an impatient and exasperated noise. He didn't expect to be confronted by four captains, even if one of them was supposed to heal only. He let out a low growl of fury, making Yui turn her head to look at him.

"What's the matter, Tull-Gray?" she asked, "You seem to have gotten quite hesitant just now."

"Shut up," Tull-Gray snarled, giving Yui's neck a little squeeze, "Hostages are meant to either stay silent or beg for their lives."

"Actually, Adjucha," Takamaki corrected, "If you've chosen to have Kamikaze-san as your hostage, then I pity you."

"What?" Tull-Gray growled. Then, he let out a howl of pain as the blade of Tsuin Ryuu no Tatsumaki retracted and shot out from the other end of the handle, embedding itself deep into his stomach. In his pain, Tull-Gray released Yui, who yanked her zanpakuto out and retreated a few paces. Dropping to his knees, Tull-Gray put a hand over his wound, glaring hatefully at his escaped hostage.

"You little wrench," he hissed spitefully, "I'LL KILL YOU!" He leapt for the redhead, claws extended and teeth bared.

"Curve, Okina Kama*!" Takamaki commanded. Her zanpakuto's blade swiftly bent itself to look like a sickle, which she used to slash a deep wound on Tull-Gray's back. The Adjucha wailed in pain before jumping a considerable distance away. He crouched there, bleeding profusely from both of his wounds.

"**_Shinigami..."_**he growled. Takamaki, Yui, Shunsui, and Juushirou all braced themselves for an attack, but to their surprise, a yellow light came down from the sky, enveloping Tull-Gray completely.

"Negación!" The four Shinigami relaxed their stances, knowing that they would now be unable to harm Tull-Gray and vice versa. A Garganta opened up where the light was coming from, revealing a howling and writhing mass of Gillians.

"What's going on?" Otoribashi Rojuro, lieutenant of the Third Division, walked slowly out of the trees, followed by the rest of the reinforcement patrol and Juushirou's siblings.

Before anyone could answer him, Tull-Gray began to shout at the gathered Shinigami. "Damn you!" he screamed, "Curse all Shinigami! I swear I will destroy you all. I SWEAR IT! And I'll start with you!" He pointed at Yui, who didn't bat an eyelash, "I'll torture and kill your friends in front of you, then I'll kill you!"

"You can try," Yui retorted coolly as Tull-Gray vanished into Hueco Mundo and the Garganta closed up.

"Shiro-nii!" Sanna cried as she jumped into her brother's arms. Juushirou hugged her back with a relieved laugh as the rest of the Ukitake siblings joined the hug.

Meanwhile, Unohana approached Yui as the latter resealed and sheathed her zanpakuto. "Kamikaze-san, please let me take a look at your wounds."

"Oh, that's okay," Yui reassured, "I'll be fine, Unohana-taicho. There are other people that immediate medical attention, so..."

"Kamikaze-san," Unohana interrupted, "_**Please let me take a look at your wounds**_."

Yui froze before giving in. "Y-Yes. Please do."

"Once everyone's ready, we'll be heading back to Seireitei," Takamaki announced, "The Head Captain needs to hear about this."

"Shouldn't we stay and help rebuild the houses?" Yui objected as Unohana tended to her wounds.

"As much as I want to, this incident is too serious to procrastinate on," Takamaki said seriously, "We must alert Seireitei and maybe the Soutaicho will send a group of Shinigami later."

"But where are the residents going to live while we report to the Genryuusai-sensei?" Juushirou asked.

"Hey, Takamaki-taicho," Shunsui butted in, "Do you think Yama-ji will mind if the homeless residents live in Seireitei while their homes are being rebuilt?"

Takamaki shrugged. "Don't know. What do you think, Unohana-taicho?"

The black-haired captain looked up from healing Yui's injuries. "I think he will permit it as long as there is someone to keep an eye on them."

"Excellent!" Shunsui said, clapping his hands together, "Let's see if there's anyone around." He turned around to face the destroyed district. "Hey! Anyone there?" he called, cupping his hands around his mouth. The only reply he received was the echo of his voice.

"Don't just stand there yelling your head off, Kyouraku-taicho," Takamaki said, walking towards a nearby collapsed building, "They might be unconscious or something. See if you can sense anyone's reiatsu."

"I can sense one, but it's very faint," Yui said. She pointed to a nearby pile of wood, "Over there."

Takamaki walked over to where Yui had pointed and lifted up the wooden boards. "You're right. It's a kid," she said. Reaching down, she scooped up the child. "He's dying though."

"What?" Yui's eyes widened.

"It seems that he was attacked by a Hollow," Takamaki said, indicating the bite marks that were obvious on the boy's neck and the claw marks on his chest, "He would have died even if he wasn't crushed by the wooden structure."

"Bring him here," Unohana gently ordered, "I'll see if I can save him."

Takamaki laid the child down and Unohana began to examine him immediately. After a while, she began to bandage up his wounds. "There is a chance that he will survive. Let's carry him back to Seireitei."

"I'll carry him," Yui offered, staggering to her feet. Unohana helped her carry the boy on piggyback. The rest of the Shinigami each picked up one of the Ukitake siblings and began to Shunpo back to Seireitei.

* * *

"Watch it!" Tull-Gray snarled as another Adjucha treated his wounds.

His healer sneered, "You watch it. I could just kill you instead."

Tull-Gray growled, clenching his fist. "Those Shinigami are dead the next time I see them," he vowed, "How much more time before the full-scale attack, Quarrha?"

"Cool your head, Tull-Gray," Quarrha snapped, "We still have to become Vasto Lordes, and you know that Zann has just become an Adjucha. After all three of us are Vasto Lordes, we still have to take off our Hollow masks to become Arrancars. Then, we have to master those Shinigami powers before we'll be fully ready."

"That'll take years!" Tull-Gray howled.

"But it's worth it," A quieter voice said. Quarrha and Tull-Gray whipped their heads around to see a third Adjucha standing in the doorway of their room.

"About time you got back, Zann!" Quarrha hissed, "What kept you?"

"Don't get snappish with me, Quarrha, you're the one who told me to go out and eat as many Hollows as I could," Zann retorted calmly.

"Shut the fuck up, you two," Tull-Gray shouted, "I'm tired and you're not helping!"

The next thing he knew, Tull-Gray was lying on the ground with a gash on his chest. Quarrha stood above him, teeth bared and claws dripping with blood. The enraged Adjucha reached down, grabbing Tull-Gray by the neck and lifting him into the air. Tull-Gray's feet dangled helplessly beneath him as Quarrha leaned in so that his mouth was next to Tull-Gray's ear.

"Respect, Tull-Gray," Quarrha hissed quietly, "Don't forget that I am stronger than you, and I could blow you apart easily. Although...I only need a couple more Hollows before I become a Vasto Lorde, and I wouldn't mind eating you."

Tull-Gray shivered at Quarrha's threat, but the Adjucha wasn't finished yet.

"Right now, I think it's safe to say that the peacock is stronger than the chameleon, don'tcha think?" With that, Quarrha released Tull-Gray, letting his subordinate's body slump to the floor. The entire time, Zann had just stood next to the door, watching as Tull-Gray was reminded of his place yet again by the true leader of the Hollow army.

"You," Quarrha snapped at a female Adjucha that was stationed in the room, "Heal him." He jabbed a claw at Tull-Gray. "Zann, come with me." He stalked out of the room, the younger Adjucha following closely.

The pair walked down the hallway in silence. Quarrha finally stopped in front of a silver door. He placed his palm in the center, and the door melted away at his touch. The two proceeded to walk inside, heading towards a round table lit by a candle.

"Since Tull-Gray is unable to be here," Quarrha stated irritably, "You and I shall finish up the invasion plan ourselves."

Zann wanted to point out that it was partially Quarrha's fault that Tull-Gray was absent but held his tongue in fear of being eaten by his superior.

Said superior jabbed a claw at a space on the table. "We've already determined that we must become Arrancars at the Vasto Lorde level before we even think about trashing Seireitei. However, we must still work out how we should proceed once we are inside of the barrier."

"We should divide out army into four groups and attack from four directions at the same time," Zann suggested, "Then, you, me, and Tull-Gray should use that diversion to hunt down and kill all the captains and lieutenants. Once all the higher-ups are dead, the three of us should regroup and destroy the Soutaicho and the Senzaikyuu. After that, the rest of Soul Society will fall pretty quickly."

"I agree with that," Quarrha said, "The three of us should hide ourselves in the army so that we don't draw any attention when we enter Seireitei."

He tapped the tabletop with a finger, etching the plans that he and Zann had just made into the stone. Once everything was recorded, Quarrha walked over to the window and stared out into the darkness of Hueco Mundo.

"We must win, Zann," he said quietly, "If we die, that bastard Baraggan will take over Hueco Mundo. He's been trying to become king for a while now, and he will succeed if we fail."

Zann watched Quarrha through red eyes. "Understood...Quarrha."

* * *

_Okina Kama means "Great Sickle."_


	8. Hachi

_Character Profile: Tull-Gray (Tarugurē タルグレー)  
Tull-Gray is a male Adjucha and a co-deputy of the Hollow army. His Hollow mask has large, circular eyeholes and is shaped to resemble the head of a chameleon. His body is a dark gray color, hence his name Tull-Gray. Most of the time, Tull-Gray is arrogant and rude, as shown when he shouts at Quarrha to shut up. On the other hand, he can be quite analytical during battle, although he is hasty and, more often than not, pays the price for his recklessness.  
His special ability is being able to camouflage perfectly with his surroundings and completely mask his reiatsu, which is why Kamikaze Yui couldn't sense him at all before he attempted to take her hostage. Tull-Gray is also capable of mimicking the reiatsu and appearance of others, making him a deadly opponent in battle._

_Future Zanpakuto: Camaleón (Kamereon カメレオン) Spanish for chameleon_

* * *

"We're finally back," Takamaki sighed as the group arrived back in Seireitei. She turned to the rest of the Shinigami patrol. "My squad, help Unohana-taicho get the Rukongai citizens to the Fourth Division's barracks. Otoribashi-fukutaicho, you come with me to the Soutaicho's office. You three should come, too," she added to Yui, Shunsui, and Juushirou.

"Yes," Yui reluctantly agreed, casting a final glance at the little boy as she handed him to Unohana. Juushirou gave his siblings an encouraging smile before following the pink-haired captain of the Third Division. Shunsui grumbled something about not having any sake before trudging after his friends.

"Please, follow me," Unohana requested, walking in the direction of her division's barracks. The Shinigami from Takamaki's squad hurried after her.

. . . . .

"Welcome back, Takamaki-taicho, Yui, Shunsui, and Juushirou," Yamamoto said to the people standing in front of him, "What's your report?"

Takamaki gestured for either Juushirou or Shunsui to say something. Juushirou stepped forward and began to speak somewhat hesitantly.

"Districts 63-80 were already completely annihilated by the time we got to Rukongai," he explained, "The Hollow army was comprised of about fifty normal Hollows, all led by an Adjucha who calls himself Tull-Gray."

"Tull-Gray?" Yamamoto repeated questioningly.

"Yes," Yui replied, stepping forward beside Juushirou, "He has the ability to hide his reiatsu and body completely. I didn't know he was there until he tried to take me as his hostage."

The Soutaicho opened an eye. "Tried to take _you _as a hostage? Remind me to send him a pity card later." A few chuckles came from Shunsui and Takamaki while Juushirou and Yui grinned.

"Anyway," Yamamoto continued, "I highly doubt that the three of you..." he addressed his students, "...would need back-up against fifty normal Hollows and an Adjucha. There is something you haven't told me yet."

"Don't miss a thing, do you, Yama-ji?" Shunsui murmured, rubbing his head with his hand, "Well, these Hollows aren't technically 'normal.' They've gone through training to make them prepared for fighting Shinigami."

Both of Yamamoto's eyes widened. "Training?" he questioned, "What do you mean?"

"It means that Hueco Mundo is currently hosting training sessions for their population of Hollows," Takamaki summarized ominously, "They probably intend to launch a full-scale attack on Seireitei."

"Explain," Yamamoto commanded the pink-haired captain of the Third Squad.

Takamaki spread her hands. "Well, Hollows usually only rely on their instincts when hunting and fighting, and almost never travel in groups. The army from today just contradicted both of those points."

"I agree with Takamaki-taicho, Ryuu-sensei," Yui added, "The fact that even the normal Hollows are training to fight properly leads to the conclusion that they are planning something big."

"Even if they weren't intending to invade before, they will now," Shunsui put in his opinion, "That Adjucha Tull-Gray promised that he'd be back to get revenge on Yui-chan."

Yamamoto remained silent for a few moments before nodding. "Very well," he sighed, "I shall call a Captains' meeting as soon as possible and address the issue of a possible threat from Hueco Mundo. Is there anything else you want to report?"

"Ryuu-sensei, can I ask you one last question?" Yui asked. Yamamoto gestured for her to continue.

"What is it?"

"The Hell Butterfly I sent you last night. You replied to it, didn't you?"

"I most certainly did," Yamamoto confirmed.

"What did you say?"

The old man looked surprised and baffled. "I said that reinforcements would arrive the next day and for you to start evacuating the Rukongai citizens. Did you not receive the message?"

Juushirou, Shunsui, and Yui exchanged looks. "We received it, Genryuusai-sensei, but the message was for us to prepare the citizens for battle," Juushirou explained.

"What?" Yamamoto exclaimed. His reiatsu flared for a moment, making the barracks of the First Division tremble. It didn't affect the occupants of the room much though: Yui and Juushirou didn't move, Shunsui merely pulled his sakkat over his eyes, and Takamaki narrowed her eyes.

"What are you saying?" Yamamoto demanded.

"I have come up with another theory to Tull-Gray's ability," Yui stated calmly, not fazed by the hidden accusation her sensei was directing at his students, "I'm guessing that Tull-Gray has the power to mimic the reiatsu of others as well and used it to intercept the Hell Butterfly that you sent me, changing the message to have us keep the Rukongai citizens where they are."

"Which in turn, would have made it harder for us to fight when the Hollow army attacked, since we'd be protecting the Rukongai citizens as well as ourselves, while the Hollows are trying to eat anyone who isn't one of their kind," Juushirou finished for her.

Yui nodded. "Exactly."

"Geez..." Shunsui sighed.

Yamamoto relaxed. "My answer is still the same as before: I will discuss this with the captains at the next captains' meeting. Is there anything else?"

"There is, Yamamoto-soutaicho," Takamaki said, "Due to the fight that took place in Rukongai, many of the residents of District 42 are now without a home. I would like permission to gather some Shinigami from each squad to help rebuild the fallen structures."

Yamamoto pondered this for a bit before saying, "Granted on the condition that there will be a captain supervising at all times and that the Shinigami in District 42 are switched weekly."

"Yes, sir!" Takamaki bowed and stepped back, signaling that she had nothing else to say.

"Oh, Yama-ji!" Shunsui blurted out, "Ukitake's siblings have lost their home in the fight. Is it alright with you if they stay in Seireitei until their house is rebuilt?"

"As long as they stay out of trouble," Yamamoto said. Juushirou beamed.

"Thank you, Genryuusai-sensei!"

With a final bow, the foursome left the Head Captain in peace. Once outside of Yamamoto's office, Takamaki gave the other three a nod.

"I'll be seeing you around, Kamikaze, Kyouraku, Ukitake. Come, Otoribashi-fukutaicho." She swept down the hallway, haori flapping behind her. Otoribashi Rojuro followed his captain lazily.

"I'm going to go check on the squad," Yui informed the guys, "Make sure Shinji hasn't died yet. See you later." She waved to the two and disappeared using Shunpo.

"Want to grab a drink, Ukitake?" Shunsui drawled, looking hopefully at the Thirteenth Division's captain.

"No, thanks, Kyouraku," Juushirou declined, "I should be getting back to my division. My Third Seat is probably being overwhelmed by the paperwork that needs to be done."

Shunsui clapped his friend on the shoulder. "Alright then. I'll be seeing you around, Ukitake." He turned and walked off, waving a hand lazily as he did so.

"Yeah," Juushirou replied, giving a quick wave back before hurrying in the direction of the barracks of the Thirteenth Division.

* * *

**_REVIEWS WOULD BE NICE!_**


	9. Preparations for the Storm

_Character Profile: Quarrha_

_Quarrha is a male Adjucha as well as the true leader of the Hollow army. His Hollow mask looks like a bird's face, though it doesn't stick out too much. His body is a dark green color, and he has claws on hands and feet as well as a pair of wings sprouting from his back. When Quarrha is annoyed, he will shout and yell at the offender, but when his anger reaches its peak, his voice becomes deadly low and he won't have a problem with attacking the offending party.  
Quarrha's special abilities include shooting steel feathers at his foes as well as using wind-based attacks. His flying skills are completely unmatched by others, which earned him the nickname 'Rey del Cielo', King of the Sky._

_Future Zanpakuto: Quetzal (Ketsu-āru ケツァール)_

* * *

"Move faster! Strike harder!" A blue Hollow, an Adjucha, shouted at his opponent.

The younger Hollow darted at its mentor, teeth bared and hands extended. The blue Hollow scoffed and merely sidestepped the attack, making the second Hollow stumble and run headfirst into a rock. The Adjucha proceeded to seize the normal Hollow around the neck, lift it into the air, and slam it into the ground. He stood over the other as it coughed and wheezed for breath.

"You're a failure!" the Adjucha spat angrily, "I have been training you for months now, and there has been no sign of any progress. Explain yourself, Thorn!"

Thorn cowered under the blue Adjucha's glare. "F-Forgive me, Sharktooth-sama. I-I will work h-harder, I promise!"

Sharktooth snarled, "That's what you said two weeks ago. Don't make promises you can't keep!"

A new voice made both Hollows turn. "What's going on?"

Zann walked calmly up to the duo, his dark eyes reflecting the moon that hung in the sky of Hueco Mundo. Upon seeing the new arrival, Sharktooth immediately fell into a deep bow while Thorn trembled in fear.

"Zann-sama," Sharktooth greeted, "We were just training, although Thorn shows no sign of improvement, and I highly doubt that he will be fit to participate in the infiltration of Seireitei."

Zann's eyes shifted to Thorn, who visibly gulped. There was a tense moment of silence as Sharktooth and Thorn both waited for Zann to say something, and when the latter finally spoke, it wasn't what they expected him to say.

"Leave him, Sharktooth. Quarrha wants to see us."

Thorn's and Sharktooth's eyes flicked to the co-deputy in surprise, but Zann was already walking away.

"But Zann-sama...!" Sharktooth protested. Said Adjucha halted. "You're not going to eat him?"

Zann turned his head to glare coldly at the blue Adjucha. "I said leave him," he repeated in a dangerous tone that made Sharktooth flinch.

"U-Understood, Zann-sama. My deepest apologies," Sharktooth stammered, bowing again.

Zann stared for a moment longer before turning back around. "Come, Sharktooth. Quarrha does not want to be kept waiting."

"Yes, Zann-sama." Sharktooth hurried after his superior, leaving Thorn alone in the middle of the training field. The two Adjuchas headed for Quarrha's headquarters, also known as La Torre del Cielo. The highest tower in Hueco Mundo.

When the pair arrived at the top floor, Zann placed his hand in the center of the door, which vanished at his touch. Quarrha, Tull-Gray, and two other Adjuchas were already inside, making Zann and Sharktooth the last ones to arrive.

"You two are late," Tull-Gray snapped, glaring at the duo. His clawed hands clenched the armrest of the chair he sat in, creating deep gouge marks in the stone.

"It is fine, Tull-Gray," Quarrha said softly. Tull-Gray made a noise of impatience, which Quarrha ignored. "Take your seats, Zann and Sharktooth."

Zann calmly sat in the vacant chair to the left of Quarrha, while Sharktooth sat between the other two female Adjuchas, across from the leader of the Hollow army. Once everyone was settled, Quarrha leaned forward, folding his hands on the table.

The leader's appearance had changed since they other five saw him last. He had become about the size of a human with long, bright green hair growing out from underneath his bird mask. His eyes were no longer red, but a bright amber color, peering out through the eye-holes of the Hollow mask.

"I have reached the level of Vasto Lorde," Quarrha announced. The eyes of the other occupants widened, but Quarrha continued to speak, "I have called you all here so you can witness the removal of my mask and my transformation into an Arrancar."

Tull-Gray slammed his fist on the table as he abruptly stood up. "When?" he demanded, "When did you become a Vasto Lorde?"

Quarrha closed his eyes patiently before answering, "Last night."

Zann turned his head slightly. "Forgive my suggesting of this, Quarrha, but wouldn't it be better to wait until you have complete mastery of your current powers before gaining the strength of a Shinigami?"

Quarrha smirked. "I already have, Zann."

"...I see," Zann murmured, "My apologies."

Quarrha disregarded Zann's apology. He snapped his fingers and a female Hollow approached him. Quarrha stood up and stepped away from the table. "Brace yourselves," he told the other five. With that, he nodded to the female Hollow, who obediently grasped the edges of her leader's mask and gave a hard yank.

There was an explosion of reiatsu as the mask cracked and came off. The only part that remained on Quarrha's face was the section on his forehead. His wings fell off as well along with his tail and claws, so that he looked more human than ever. A sheathed sword appeared on the ground in front of him. Quarrha's hair shortened, becoming shoulder-length instead of trailing to his waist.

As the last of the reiatsu settled, the five Adjuchas dared to take a look at their leader. The shock was evident on their faces as they stared, taking in all of the changes that had occurred with the removal of the mask.

Quarrha's shoulders began to shake with suppressed laughter, feeling victorious that he had achieved what he believed to be the greatest level of power for a Hollow.

* * *

"Ukitake-taicho?" Furin knocked quietly on her captain's door. It had been a few weeks since the return of the Rukongai patrol. Juushirou had been fine for a while, but he suddenly fell into another bout of illness just a couple days ago. Since then, he had been holed up in Ugendo, recovering from his coughing of blood. Nabi Furin would come visit her captain whenever she could to make sure he was doing alright, even if he didn't like people worrying about him.

"Come in," Juushirou rasped.

Furin opened the door to see Juushirou sitting up in bed, holding an ice pack to his head. He looked as pale as usual, and he had gotten thinner due to his fever. There were bags under his eyes, giving him an almost-skeletal look.

"What is it _*cough*, _Nabi-san?" Juushirou asked.

"I just wanted to make sure you're okay and to let you know that I've finished all of the paperwork," Furin notified the diseased captain.

Juushirou smiled weakly. "Ah, thank you so much, Nabi-san. I'm sorry to make you do all the work," he apologized.

"It's no problem, Ukitake-taicho," Furin reassured.

"So, how's the squad doing?" Juushirou inquired, eager to know what had happened while he had been ill.

"Well, we can't wait until you get better, and the Fourth Seat and I have been organizing training sessions in preparation for the possible threat from the Hollows. Everyone's been kept busy," Furin said, "Also, I met Kamikaze-san today."

"Oh? Is she coming?" Juushirou asked hopefully.

"Unfortunately, no," Furin replied apologetically, "She asked me to tell you that she will be helping Yaguki Shina-san achieve Shikai, so she won't be coming for a few weeks."

"I see." Juushirou looked at the window, brown eyes focused on the sky. He should be preparing for a possible invasion from Hollows, too, but how could he when he was sick practically every other day? Unconsciously, he balled his hands into fists at how frustrated he felt.

Suddenly, a Hell Butterfly fluttered across his vision. Juushirou blinked before extending his index finger for the bug to land on. It landed for a brief moment, delivering its message, before flying back the way it came. The white-haired captain then proceeded to get out of bed, staggering slightly. He put on his haori and tied his zanpakuto to his waist, ignoring his Third Seat's protests.

"Taicho, you shouldn't be moving around right now, you're still...!" Furin tried to reason, but Juushirou cut her off.

"There's a captains' meeting right now that I absolutely must attend. I'll be fine." With that, he swept out of the room, his haori billowing behind him.

"O-Okay. I'll take care of the squad!" Furin called after him as Juushirou vanished using Flash Step. Once she was alone, Furin sighed.

"And he wonders why he's always ill."

* * *

Shunsui was the last to arrive at the captains' meeting, not that he particularly cared. What surprised him was the fact that Juushirou was there, despite his pale and unwell appearance. The spots for the Second Division's captain and the Ninth Division's captain were empty, both divisions currently lacking a captain.

"Hurry up, Shunsui!" Yamamoto's demand made the flamboyant captain of the Eighth realize that he had been standing blankly in the middle of the doorway.

"Sorry, sorry." Shunsui quickly headed for his spot in the captains' ranks, which was between the captains of the Sixth and Tenth Division, Kuchiki Koto and Itsushini Warame.

The moment Shunsui was in place, Yamamoto banged the end of his cane on the floor, signaling the start of the meeting. "As you all know, Captains Takamaki, Kyouraku, and Ukitake as well as Lieutenant Otoribashi and Third Seat Kamikaze fought against an army of Hollows a couple weeks earlier."

"I still find it hard to believe that it was an army of _Hollows,_" Itsushini muttered. Out of all Gotei 13 captains, he was probably the most ill-tempered and sharp-tongued. He wasn't one to care about other people's feeling very much and dealt harsh punishments to subordinates who disobeyed him.

"If you do not believe it, then it is your funeral," Kuchiki Koto retorted, glaring at the Tenth Division's captain through her cold, gray eyes.

"Hey, hey. Let the Soutaicho speak," Yona Tatsuke, the captain of the Seventh Division, said mildly from where he stood across Kuchiki.

Silence fell as Yamamoto glared at the offending captains, and when he continued to speak, there was a warning hidden in his words. "The _Hollow army _was led by an Adjucha called Tull-Gray, who seems to possess the ability to mask his reiatsu completely and camouflage himself with his surroundings. The Third Seat of the Fifth Squad, Kamikaze Yui, also hypothesized that this Adjucha can probably mimic his opponent's reiatsu as well."

"What about his physical appearance?" Kotsubari asked, "Can this Tull-Gray transform so that he looks like his opponent, too?"

"That is uncertain, but if he can, he hasn't done so yet," Yamamoto informed, "However, we should be prepared in case he does try."

He banged his cane on the ground again. "All captains should begin preparing their squads for this possible threat. Fifth Squad is in charge of strengthening Seireitei's defenses!"

"Yes, sir," Kotsubari said.

"Fourth Squad should be ready for wounded Shinigami at any time."

"Understood," Unohana replied.

"All other squads will send out constant patrols to keep watch for suspicious activity throughout not only Seireitei, but Rukongai as well. Twelfth Squad will be keeping an eye on the World of the Living," Yamamoto ordered.

"Yes, sir!" Captain Hikifune Kirio answered confidently.

"Dismissed."

* * *

"Shishou," Shina asked Yui hesitantly as they walked through dense undergrowth, "Where are we going?"

"Someplace where nobody can interrupt us," Yui explained.

Shina frowned. Her mentor always gave vague answers when there was something bothering her. She wanted to question Yui more, but knew that it would be futile. The redhead was quite stubborn when she wanted to be. Shina obediently fell silent, focusing instead on the tree roots that stuck up from underneath the ground.

Sometime later, Yui came to a sudden halt, causing Shina to almost bump into her from behind.

"We're here," Yui announced proudly. Shina peered curiously around her shishou to see the mouth of a cave gaping back. Nothing except darkness could be seen in the cave, and Shina couldn't help but wonder if Yui was joking.

"This cave was one of the secret training places for the Kamikaze Clan," Yui explained, "It was also where the Blood Sword, the Chiken, was hidden, and the maze inside is a terror to face."

Shina detected a bit of sadness in Yui's voice from the fact that she had to speak of her extinct Clan. "What's the Chiken?" Shina questioned.

Yui scowled. "It was a sword forged from the reishi of all members of the Kamikaze family and possessed frightening power, enough to wipe out half of Soul Society in one swing. However, it was sealed right after it was made, about three thousand years ago, and only direct descendants of the Kamikaze are told of its hiding place."

"But if a sword that powerful is hidden in there, should we really be going in?"

"The sword no longer exists," Yui reassured, "It was destroyed forty-five years ago." She began to walk into the cave, her apprentice right behind her.

"Forty-five years ago," Shina muttered as she followed Yui into the pitch darkness. "Shishou, weren't you in your second-to-last year in the Shin'o Academy forty-five years ago?"

"That's correct," Yui confirmed.

"How was the Chiken destroyed?" Shina inquired, stumbling slightly over a piece of rock that was on the floor.

"You know how the reishi of each individual Shinigami is different from others?" Yui asked. Shina nodded. "Well, in order to destroy the Chiken, someone had to use their reiryoku to seperate each individual type of reishi in the sword and extract them one-by-one. This method is called the Chushutsu, and only members of the Kamikaze family is capable of performing this technique, since the Chiken repels anyone who does not have Kamikaze blood."

Shina remained silent for a while before asking, "Was it you?"

Yui hesitated slightly. "Yeah."

_~Flashback~_

_A forty-five years younger Yui stood in Yamamoto's office, wearing the female's uniform for the Shin'o Academy. Bandages were visible, peeking out from underneath her sleeves and covering her neck. She looked unsteady on her feet and exhausted, bags visible under her dull eyes. Juushirou and Shunsui stood behind her, also bandaged, but not as heavily as their friend. They constantly shot concerned glances at the redhead, clearly fearing that she would suddenly collapse on them. Captain Unohana was also in the room, standing next to the door. She had a look of disapproval in her eyes as she watched the scene play out in front of her._

_"Will you do it?" Yamamoto asked from where he sat at his desk. With one hand, he gestured to the blood red sword that lay on the table in front of him. Wordlessly, Yui approached the sword, one shaking hand outstretched. She hesitated for a moment, hand hovering over the black handle before making up her mind and grasping it tightly._

_The moment the sword made contact with the young Kamikaze, it released a wave of powerful reiatsu, making the entire building tremble and forcing even Yamamoto back a step. The blade began to glow, changing from a smooth red to a blinding white. It startred to shake. Yui grasped it with both hands, but was still unable to hold it steady. Closing her eyes, she began to use her reiryoku to force it steady. Keeping the weapon carefully under control, Yui slowly took one hand off of it and held it at her side._

_"Yes," she answered simply._

_~End Flashback~_

"What happened after?" Shina asked.

"It took about fifty days, but I managed to separate and destroy each individual's reishi. I almost died at the end," Yui explained quietly, "The Chushutsu takes a heavy toll on the user's body, and I was already weak from the torture I had gone through at the house of Kokushibyo."

"That formerly noble Clan was disgraced because they murdered the entire Kamikaze Clan and tried to force you to tell them the whereabouts of the Chiken, right?"

"You are better informed than I thought," Yui smiled. "Oh, we're here." She took a step forward and a few lights immediately flashed on. Shina saw that they had arrived at a gigantic training room. There was a row of spare katanas lined against the opposite walls, and some wooden practice swords were placed next to it. There were practice targets for Kido as well as a large space for Hakuda practice.

"Amazing," Shina whispered, unable to stop looking around. Yui chuckled.

"Sorry, but we're only here because this place is quiet and suitable for what I'm going to be teaching you."

"Which is...?"

"Meditate," Yui ordered, leaning against the wall. Shina blinked a few times.

"Huh?"

"You're going to your inner world so you can learn your zanpakuto's name," Yui explained.

Shina's eyes widened. "Y-Yes." She sat down on the stone floor, crossing her legs and closing her eyes. Yui grinned before she, too, sat down on the floor with her back against the wall, observing her apprentice.

_I hope you don't take too long, Shina, because your back is definitely gonna hurt if you do._

* * *

**_I hate Internet so much right now! As I was writing this chapter, the Internet disconnected itself without me noticing, so I clicked the save button while it was disconnected. FanFiction ended up erasing an entire section that I just wrote! ARRRGH! I had to rewrite it all after I threw a hissy fit. GAH!_**


	10. Rising Tension

_Character Profile: Zann_

_Zann is a male Adjucha and co-deputy of the Hollow army alongside Tull-Gray. His Hollow mask resembles the face of a horse and has black stripes on the cheeks and forehead. His body is mostly white but has black hands and feet and a stripe going down his back, ending at the tip of his tail. He has a cold and indifferent demeanor but is shown to also have a level of mercy, seeing as he didn't eat Thorn when the latter proved to be useless to Quarrha's army.  
Zann possesses incredible strength and Hakuda skills, excelling in close combat. He is also very fast, despite being the youngest Adjucha in Quarrha's army. His skills and intelligence make him one of Quarrha's favorite subordinates._

_Future Zanpakuto: Cebra; Spanish for zebra_

* * *

Yui walked back into the training room to see her apprentice still meditating. It had been three hours already, and Yui guessed that Shina's zanpakuto was giving its master a hard time. Learning the name of one's zanpakuto did take a long time, being one of the most important things for a Shinigami to know. Even so, meditation should take the Shinigami to his or her inner world, where they could communicate with their zanpakuto directly.

_**Master? **_Tsuin Ryuu no Tatsumaki voice echoed in Yui's mind, making the latter smile softly.

_Yes, Tsuin?_ Yui's zanpakuto's name was so long that the redhead just decided to call her sword Tsuin, not that the zanpakuto minded.

_**The wind in your inner world is getting a little chaotic. What's bothering you?** _Tsuin prodded gently.

_Nothing too bad. Just hoping that I can get Shina's Shikai training over with before that Tull-Gray returns._

**_That Adjucha is nothing to worry about, Yui-sama. We are strong enough to beat him, especially since we're now prepared._**

_Tull-Gray's reiatsu was close to that of a Vasto Lorde, _Yui argued, _Next time we see him, he might as well be one, and we won't be able to take him on alone then._

**_In that case, we should train together more. Tull-Gray specifically said that he will be coming after you._**

_I will train after I get Shina to achieve Shikai, _Yui promised.

_**I will hold you to that promise, Yui-sama.**_

"Shishou?"

Yui broke off her conversation with Tsuin Ryuu no Tatsumaki to see that Shina was no longer meditating. There was a pleased look on the brown-haired girl's face.

"You learned your zanpakuto's name?" Yui guessed.

"Yes!" Shina cried, looking very pleased with herself.

Yui grinned. "Good. Release your zanpakuto."

Shina stood up and unsheathed her katana. Holding it out parallel to the ground with the tip pointing to the opposite wall, she shouted, "Evaporate, Aokiri*!"

The blade of her sword immediately began to glow blue. Then, it began to disintegrate, starting from the tip and working to the tsuba. Once it completely broke apart, it hung in midair, looking very much like mist, except it was blue.

"Not bad," Yui praised, observing Aokiri's release, "I will give you three days to practice by yourself so you can figure out how Aokiri works. After those three days, you and I will be sparring together."

"Yes, Shishou!" Shina bowed, "Thank you very much."

* * *

"Hiyori, get off me!" Shinji yelled, struggling to get the Twelfth Division's lieutenant off him. Sarugaki Hiyori responded by yanking on the man's ear, forcing another loud yelp of pain from the blonde.

"Shut up, Baldy!" Hiyori screeched, "It's your fault for not saying hi to me when I came in!"

Shinji managed to grab hold of one of Hiyori's pigtails, giving it a hard tug. "You came to talk to the captain, not me. I don't have to greet you!"

The little girl began to pull on Shinji's cheeks. Hard. "Shut up! If I say you have to greet me, you greet me! Understand?"

"No, I don...OW!" Shinji screamed as Hiyori punched him on the top of his head.

Kotsubari merely watched the two with amusement in her eyes. Being a member of the original Gotei 13, she had seen many Shinigami pairs who act like Hiyori and Shinji: violent towards each other, but best friends nevertheless. She refocused her attention on the small stack of paperwork that was on her desk. Sliding the top sheet closer, she picked up her brush and began to fill it out, pausing occasionally to make sure that neither lieutenant was getting killed by the other.

Suddenly, the door to her office opened and Kyouraku Shunsui poked his head inside. "My, my. It's really loud in here. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" he asked.

"Shut up!" Hiyori shouted, jumping off Shinji to punch the Eighth Division's captain in the face.

"Ow!" Shunsui cried pitifully, pretending to be in a lot of pain and holding his bruised cheek, "What was that for, Hiyori-san?"

"Because I felt like it!" Hiyori snapped.

Kotsubari stood up. "Sarugaki-fukutaicho, please apologize to Kyouraku-san. I can understand you wanting to hurt Shinji since he's a blockhead..."

"Hey!"

"...but Kyouraku-san has done nothing offensive to you," Kotsubari finished, ignoring Shinji's protest.

Hiyori debated with herself for a bit, her respect for the old captain versus her pride. Finally, she shrugged angrily and muttered, "Sorry."

Kotsubari smiled wearily before turning to Shunsui as Hiyori and Shinji continued their fight. "My apologies, Kyouraku-san. How may I help you?"

Kyouraku grinned. "I heard Yui-chan and Shina-chan are currently training somewhere. Do you know when they'll be back?"

Kotsubari shook her head. "Not for certain, but the latest is a two weeks."

"Well, could you give this to Yui-chan when she returns?" Shunsui held out a folded slip of paper. Kotsubari took it.

"Is it private?" she questioned. The Eighth's captain chuckled.

"No, actually," he replied, rubbing the back of his head, "Sorry to trouble you, but Ukitake and I intend to train together in preparation for the possible upcoming war. The note tells her where we will be if she can't find us."

Kotsubari nodded. "I will make sure to give it to her when she returns. Good luck with your training, Kyouraku-san, and please pass my greetings to Ukitake-san as well."

"Of course." Shunsui tilted his sakkat to the elder captain before leaving. Still ignoring Shinji and Hiyori, Kotsubari retreated to the window where she raised her head to watch the clouds floating by.

_It's been a long time since Seireitei faced such a large threat. _Kotsubari fingered the tsuba of her zanpakuto, which was tied at her waist. _The sky is growing dark, Kaminari Suzume._

* * *

"That bastard Quarrha is so stuck-up!" A red, female Adjucha groaned as she left the meeting room with another green, female Adjucha and the blue Adjucha, Sharktooth.

"All beautiful birds are arrogant, Sparkfire." The other female said. Sharktooth, however, chose not to say anything and left the other two to head for his room. Neither female acknowledged his departure.

Sparkfire made an impatient noise. "I want to kill something. I want to wreck havoc in the World of the Living or destroy some Shinigami, but Quarrha says no! Why can't I do what I want?"

"Because it will put the Shinigami on guard," the other answered snootily.

"Shut up, Venomleaf!" Sparkfire shouted. She started pacing up and down in front Venomleaf, muttering, "Why am I obeying Quarrha anyway? That son of a bitch doesn't deserve my loyalty. Screw him; I'm going to the World of the Living."

"You do know that Quarrha-sama will most likely kill you when you return," Venomleaf pointed out without concern.

"I don't give two shits about what he will do," Sparkfire snapped before stalking away, leaving Venomleaf alone. The red Adjucha stomped to her room and threw open the door with a loud bang. The three Adjuchas that were inside looked up at the noise.

"Follow me," Sparkfire ordered her subordinates. They cast excited looks to each other before scuttling after their boss.

"Where are we going, m'lady?" One of them asked respectfully.

"The World of the Living," Sparkfire answered as she opened up a Garganta. She stepped through, quickly followed by her subordinates. As the Garganta closed behind them, the four began to run into the never-ending black void. After a long time of sprinting, an opening finally appeared in front of them. Sparkfire jumped out first, appearing in the sky above a large, busy town. As the other three appeared beside her, she gave a low snicker in the back of her throat.

"Karakura Town."

* * *

_Aokiri means Blue Mist._


	11. Protect Karakura Town

Chapter 11: Protect Karakura Town

In Hueco Mundo...

Zann quickly made his way to the top of La Torre del Cielo. He had just sensed that a group of Adjuchas had opened up a Garganta to the World of the Living. He hadn't been able to stop them, but he knew that Quarrha could have prevented Sparkfire from taking her subordinates to attack Karakura Town. The question was why didn't he?

When Zann arrived at the top floor, Quarrha was standing at the window, staring down at the ground with a small smirk on his face. "What's wrong, Zann?" he asked, "You look worried."

"Why?" Zann asked, knowing that Quarrha would know what he was referring to.

Quarrha's smile widened. "Why ask if you already know why I didn't stop them?" When Zann didn't answer, the Arrancar leader went on, "Tell me what you think, Zann."

Zann's eyes narrowed just slightly. "Is it to trick Soul Society into thinking that we intend to attack the World of the Living as well so they'll send half their troops to guard the humans?"

"Correct," Quarrha praised, "We will be met with weaker resistance when we invade Seireitei. Our victory will be ensured."

"Even if we sacrifice Sparkfire to achieve it?" Zann dared to ask.

"Sparkfire is dispensable," Quarrha replied with a wave of his hand, "We can easily manage without her and her Fraccion."

"Then what was the point of recruiting her in first place?"

"Come now, Zann," Quarrha said somewhat impatiently, "If I never recruited Sparkfire, then none of us would have gone to the World of the Living."

"You mean you took her in just so she could attack the World of the Living and draw some high-leveled Shinigami there?" Zann asked a little disbelievingly.

Quarrha chuckled. "What do you think?"

* * *

"Hikifune-taicho!" A member of Squad 12 hurried down the hall of the barracks, searching for the purple-haired, busty captain.

The surveillance monitor for the World of the Living had suddenly started beeping like crazy. When someone investigated, it turned out that four Adjucha-leveled Hollows had appeared there. The search for Hikifune began immediately, but unfortunately, the captain of the Twelfth Division was nowhere to be seen.

The Shinigami let out a soft curse and turned a corner. He didn't know whether to be happy or afraid when he saw Hiyori walking towards him, but he gathered his courage and went up to the belligerent lieutenant.

"Sarugaki-fukutaicho, do you know where Hikifune-taicho is?"

"In her office! Duh!"

"Umm...I've already che..."

"Are you questioning me, baldy? Go check her office!" (The Shinigami was not bald.)

"Y-Yes, ma'am!" The Shinigami quickly rushed to Hikifune's office to 'check', although he already knew that she wasn't in there. However, he was shocked and surprised to Hikifune sitting at her desk, filling out paperwork.

"Is something wrong?" she asked curiously, seeing the urgency and fear on her subordinate's face. Hiyori appeared next to him with a smug look on her face.

"I told you the captain was here!" she gloated.

"What's the matter?" Hikifune repeated after giving Hiyori a quick smile.

"Four Hollow reiatsus have appeared in the World of the Living at Karakura Town, Captain," the Shinigami gulped, "They're all Adjucha-level!"

Hikifune's eyes widened and she stood abruptly. "You two go keep an eye on the Adjuchas. I will report to the Soutaicho on this!" Not waiting to see if her order was obeyed, Hikifune began to Shunpo towards the barracks of the First Division.

When she finally arrived in front of the door to Yamamoto's office, she knocked quickly on the door and pushed it open before Yamamoto could finish saying, "Come in."

Hikifune stood in front of the old man, breathing heavily from using so many flash steps. Yamamoto raised an eyebrow.

"What brings you here in such a flustered manner, Captain Hikifune Kirio?" he questioned, slightly annoyed.

"Yamamoto-soutaicho," Hikifune said once she had regained her breath, "Four Hollows have invaded Karakura Town, the World of the Living. All of them are Adjuchas with strong reiatsus."

The Soutaicho showed no signs of panic other than opening his eyes. With a _thump _of his cane, a messenger appeared in the room. "Tell Kyouraku Shunsui, Yadomaru Lisa, Ukitake Juushirou, and Shinji Hirako that this is a top-priority mission," Yamamoto ordered the messenger, "Four Adjuchas have invaded Karakura town, and their job is to capture, if not, kill the Adjuchas. And tell Kyouraku that he has to go."

"Yes, sir!" The messenger bowed and left.

Yamamoto turned back to Hikifune. "Captain Hikifune, keep an eye on the four as they fight the Adjuchas, and feel free to send reinforcements if you feel they are necessary."

"Understood!" Hikifune barked, saluting the Captain-Commander before departing.

* * *

Shunsui, Juushirou, Lisa, and Shunji arrived at the Senkaimon at almost the same time. The guards immediately opened the Senkaimon, allowing the captains and lieutenants to pass through into the Dangai. They raced through the small passage as fast as they could, Shunsui and Juushirou in the lead with Lisa and Shinji following close behind.

When the four finally burst out of the other end and popped into the World of the Living, they were shocked to see that some of the buildings in Karakura Town were being burned to ashes. Smoke rose in spirals, clouding the sky as humans ran away from the flames, screaming in fear and shock.

A Hollow with a star-shaped mask shot out of the rubble, greedily seizing a human woman and swallowing her whole. Blood splattered its mask and stained the ground red. The Adjucha let out a triumphant howl as it dived for another human, this time male.

"There are four, right?" Lisa asked, unsheathing her zanpakuto.

"Yeah," Shinji replied, "One for each of us."

"Let's go, Ukitake," Shunsui said, tilting his sakkat back slightly to get a better view of what's in front of him.

"Okay," Juushirou agreed. The four of them scattered throughout Karakura Town in search of the Adjuchas.

* * *

**_For every 15th chapter, I intend to write a filler-type excerpt on random and funny things that are centered around Yui, Shunsui, or Juushirou. I'm willing to accept plot ideas, but please keep it appropriate. Thanks! :)_**

**_REVIEW!_**


	12. Confrontation

Chapter 12: Confrontation

Yui sat and watched as Shina practiced using her zanpakuto in Shikai form. Aokiri seemed to be a zanpakuto that specialized in sneak attacks, seeing that the mist from the blade could cloud up an adversary's vision while Shina used a separate weapon to deal some devastating blows. Unfortunately, all Shina seemed to be able to do with Aokiri at the moment was blind her opponent, and Yui was pretty certain that a simple gust of wind would be enough to disperse the mist.

**_Yui-sama?_**

_Did something come up, Tsuin? _Yui asked, immediately alert.

**_Nothing too big_**, Tsuin Ryuu no Tatsumaki answered, **_It's just that Soul Society has detected the presence of four Adjuchas in the World of the Living. They've dispatched Kyouraku, Ukitake, Hirako, and Yadomaru to take care of the issue._**

_I see. Thanks for telling me. _Yui leaned back on the wall of the secret training room.

_**You are not worried?**_ Tsuin wondered.

Yui shrugged one shoulder. _Nah, those four can take care of four Adjuchas. They're tough enough._

_**You have a lot of faith in them, Yui-sama,**_ Tsuin commented.

The redhead grinned. _Sometimes, being a good friend means having faith in others._

* * *

Shinji chased after the Adjucha that had the star-shaped mask. He made his way through the dust and smoke, coughing as his throat itched and his eyes burned. Sensing for its reiatsu, the lieutenant of the Fifth Squad managed to pinpoint the Hollow's location, which was a few yards away on his left. Shinji began to head in that direction, only to be met head-on with a red Cero.

He barely managed to dodge the blast, using Shunpo to vanish and reappear a few feet away. A feminine voice let out a cackle, "It's rude to sneak up on a woman, Shinigami."

"I apologize," Shinji replied sarcastically, "I was unaware that you were a woman."

"Are you insulting me, Shinigami?" The Adjucha appeared out of the smoke, a broad smirk on her star mask.

"It's only an insult if ya take it as one," Shinji retorted, gripping the handle of his zanpakuto and getting into a battle stance. "Now, if ya don't mind, I'd like ta ask ya a few questions."

"I'm not promising I'll answer," the Adjucha snickered.

Shinji tightened his hold on his katana. "Are you the one who did this to Karakura Town?"

"Not all of it, but yes, I am responsible for some of the damage."

Shinji unsheathed his sword and swung at the Adjucha, who effortlessly blocked the blow with one arm. The female Hollow's red eyes narrowed maliciously. "Oh?" she mocked, "Are you going to avenge Karakura Town? How chivalrous."

Shinji smirked, making the Adjucha hesitate. "Nah. Chivalry isn't my thing. I'm just doing my duty."

The two of them jumped apart. Shinji landed a few feet away, holding his sword by his side. "I am lieutenant of the Fifth Division, Hirako Shinji," he introduced himself with a slight bow.

"Estrella, a member of Lady Sparkfire's Fraccion," the Adjucha, Estrella, returned with a curtsy.

Shinji frowned. "Fraccion?"

"That's right," Estrella chuckled, "Each high-ranking Hollow in Hueco Mundo is allowed to have a small group of weaker Hollows under their direct command. The group of weaker Hollows is known as a Fraccion."

Shinji's grin came back. "So you're a weaker Hollow? This should be pretty easy then."

Estrella let out a low snarl. "Don't underestimate me, Shinigami!" she roared as she charged at Shinji.

* * *

"My, my. What do we have here?"

Lisa unsheathed her zanpakuto as a male Adjucha with a circular mask jumped down in front of her. He laughed when he saw the glint of the blade.

"Relax, miss," he purred, "I won't hurt you. Much."

"Judging by your reiatsu, you're one of the Adjuchas that Squad Twelve reported," Lisa observed, ignoring the previous comment.

"I am Círculo, serving under Sparkfire-sama," the Adjucha informed her.

"Yadomaru Lisa," Lisa answered, "Lieutenant of the Eighth Division."

Círculo clapped his hands excitedly. "Oh, ho! A lieutenant! You have no idea how long I've wanted to meet a Shinigami lieutenant. How about we sit down and have a chat?"

No sooner had he finished speaking did Lisa swing her sword at his mask. Círculo raised a hand and blocked it easily. Holding the blade between his thumb and pointer finger, he said in a much calmer voice, "Now that's no way to treat others, lieutenant-san. I went through the extra effort to be friendly and all."

Lisa jerked her zanpakuto out of Círculo's grip. "Sorry, but I don't have time to chat, not while my comrades are fighting the other three Adjuchas. Besides, my orders were to capture or kill you."

"Awww, that's too bad," Círculo reverted back to his playful self, "It means I'm going to have to kill you." He licked his lips slowly, eyes narrowing in hunger and a sadistic grin spread across his mask.

* * *

Juushirou and a male Hollow with an inverted triangle mask faced each other in a field.

"You know a Hollow called Tull-Gray, don't you?" Juushirou asked, glaring at the Adjucha.

"Tull-Gray? Yes, I do know him. He's a co-deputy of the Hueco Mundo, even though he doesn't deserve the position," the Adjucha replied.

"A co-deputy?"

"That's right, meaning he is only one of the second-in-commands."

"Who is you leader?"

"Our leader's name isn't information that we give to Shinigami scum," the Adjucha deadpanned coldly.

"I see," Juushirou answered with just as much dislike, "Then I shall just capture you and take you back to Soul Society for interrogation."

"You can try, but I, Triángulo, will never be defeated by the likes of you," Triángulo declared, charging a Cero on the end of his finger.

"And I, Ukitake Juushirou, captain of the Thirteenth Division, shall do more than try to defeat you in order to protect the World of the Living and Soul Society," Juushirou retorted as he drew his zanpakuto.

* * *

"And who might you be, my dear Adjucha?" Shunsui asked, the red Hollow that hovered in the sky in front of him.

"Well, well, well. A _captain._ Does Soul Society have so little faith in its Shinigami that it sends one of its strongest against a mere Adjucha like me?" the female Adjucha sneered sarcastically, "But if you absolutely must know, I am Sparkfire, fourth-in-command of Hueco Mundo."

"Kyouraku Shunsui, captain of the Eighth Division. Pleased to meet you," Shunsui replied pleasantly.

Sparkfire didn't answer, choosing instead to watch Shunsui with calculating, red eyes. Shunsui lifted the edge of his sakkat, giving the Adjucha a lazy look.

"You shouldn't glare at others like that," he drawled, "It's scary."

A fireball appeared out of nowhere and flew towards Shunsui at an alarming speed. The captain dodged it by a centimeter, the attack just managing to singe the edges of his pink kimono. Shunsui looked from the slightly smoking cloth to the Sparkfire.

"Oh, boy."


	13. IMPORTANT TIME SKIP

IMPORTANT TIME SKIP

Hey, everyone. I'm really sorry to say that I won't be writing out the rest of the Hollow Invasion Arc. It's just that I really suck at planning, and when I think I've covered up all the holes in a story, I always find another one and I get really frustrated. I'm not exactly a patient person, and I'm not really suited for writing really long stories. If I wrote out what happened during the rest of the Hollow Invasion Arc along with the other two arcs that I came up with, this story would probably have over 100 chapters.

However, I am glad to say that the summaries for the Hollow Invasion Arc, the Quincy War Arc, and the Human-Beasts Arc are below. If you intend to continue following this story, despite the massive time skip, then please read the summaries.

* * *

Hollow Invasion Arc:

Shinji, Lisa, Juushirou, and Shunsui manage to beat Sparkfire and her Fraccion. The four of them return to Soul Society to give their report, and Yamamoto decides to send some Shinigami to the World of the Living, which is exactly what Quarrha wants. Meanwhile, Yui and Shina return to Soul Society after Shina gains some experience with her zanpakuto, Aokiri. Yui, Shunsui, and Juushirou proceed to train together for a bit before they are sent to the World of the Living. Before they leave, Muguruma Kensei is named the new captain of the Ninth Division, choosing Kuna Mashiro as his lieutenant. In Hueco Mundo, Tull-Gray and Zann finally become Vasto Lordes and they remove their masks, becoming Arrancars just like Quarrha. Third-in-command, Sharktooth, and fifth-in-command, Venomleaf, also become Arrancars, but at the Adjucha level.

Some time later, Quarrha finally decides to lead the forces of Hueco Mundo into Seireitei. The Hollow army attacks at night, killing many Shinigami and severely wounding others. The five Arrancars sneak in while the Shinigami are distracted and proceed to hunt down the higher-leveled Shinigami, namely captains and lieutenants. Venomleaf is confronted by Rose, Kensei, and Mashiro. Sharktooth faces Hiyori and Hikifune. Zann is accosted by Captains Itsushini, Yona, and Kuchiki while Quarrha faces Shinji and Kotsubari. Tull-Gray attacks Yui, Juushirou, and Shunsui as the three arrive from the World of the Living.

Venomleaf, Sharktooth, and Zann are defeated by their opponents, of course. Shunsui, Juushirou, and Yui also manage to beat Tull-Gray after a long and hard battle. Yui sustains a fatal wound and is immediately taken to the Fourth Division, where she remains unconscious for the rest of the battle. Juushirou and Shunsui are also told (threatened) to rest by Unohana, so they stay with Yui for the rest of the battle.

Meanwhile, Quarrha manages to beat up Shinji easily, making it a one-on-one battle between him and Kotsubari. Kotsubari releases her Shikai, Kaminari Suzume (Lightning Sparrow) but is still unable to gain the upper hand. Being pushed to her limits, she unleashes her Bankai, Hikou Kaminari Taka (Flying Thunder Hawk) and manages to fight Quarrha's Resurreccion on even ground.

After a harsh fight that pushed both of them to their limits, Kotsubari manages to kill Quarrha in a stroke of luck. However, Kotsubari's body was unable to take the strain of the battle. The old and ill captain collapses and dies, apologizing to Soul Society in the last seconds of her life. Yui is told of Kotsubari's death after the the redhead wakes up, and she mourns the end of her captain with the rest of the Fifth Squad.

Later, Shinji is made into the new captain of the Fifth Division, choosing Aizen as his lieutenant because he thinks that the latter is up to something. A new captain for the Second Division was also chosen, Shihouin Yoruichi. With Shunsui's coaxing, Juushirou had gotten up the nerve to ask Yui out, to which the female Shinigami happily agreed.

Quincy War Arc:

Soul Society decides that the Quincy race is becoming a threat to the balance between the World of the Living and the Souls. An ambassador is sent to ask the Quincies to allow the Shinigami to take care of the Hollows. The ambassador never returns and the Quincies send a threat to Soul Society, warning the latter to stay out of their way.

Soul Society heeds the warning for a few weeks, but there is no sign of improvement from the Quincies. Yamamoto finally declares war, ordering all Shinigami to kill the entire Quincy race. A huge war ensues, leading to the deaths of captains Yona Tatsuke and Kuchiki Koto. In a particularly confusing and deadly battle, Shunsui accidentally kills a member of his own squad. He is shaken tremendously, but with continued support from his friends and squad, who don't blame him for his mistake, he gradually recovers.

The war eventually ends with Soul Society's victory, although some Quincies managed to survive. The surviving Quincies were placed under close supervision. Yona Tatsuke is replaced with Aikawa Rabu, more commonly known as Love. Kuchiki Koto was replaced with Kuchiki Ginrei.

Human-Beasts Arc:

A group of humans with the ability to transform and utilize the powers of animals infiltrate Soul Society one night. The next day, Takamaki Mishiko is discovered dead by her squad. Soul Society is thrown into confusion and turmoil, which gives the group of humans, called Minuit, another chance to attack and deal heavy damage.

Yui is confronted by a Minuit called Chauve-souris, who can use the abilities of a vampire bat. The two proceed to have a battle in the air, with Chauve-souris winning and attempting to drain Yui's blood. Meanwhile, Juushirou is attacked by another Minuit called Araignée, who uses the powers of a venomous spider. Juushirou is poisoned and captured by Araignée's web. Fortunately, he is saved by Rose and Yui is rescued by Shinji. Araignée and Chauve-souris are both defeated.

A few days later, the remaining eight members of Minuit infiltrate Soul Society once again. Soul Society is somewhat prepared for this third attack and manages to defeat the Minuit, but with the loss of the captain of the Tenth Division, Itsushini Warame. Unfortunately, there is no one capable of replacing him, leaving the Tenth Division without a captain or a lieutenant.

* * *

Well, that's what happens. The next chapter of this story will pick up at the Hollowfication of the Visoreds. Once again, I'm very sorry that I just skipped over a century like that, but I really think that my planning would have sucked anyway. Thank you for putting up with me. Love you guys!


	14. The New Soul Society

Chapter 14:The New Soul Society

"Are you all set, Captain?" Fifth Squad's lieutenant, Aizen Sousuke, asked as he waited outside of the captain's room.

"Yep, c'mon in!" Hirako Shinji called.

"As you wish," Aizen said as he slid open the door. Captain Hirako Shinji sat in front of a mirror as he listened to some music. As Aizen came in, Shinji turned around and looked at him critically.

"What's this? Yer wearin' yer normal clothes!" he grumbled, "We're goin' to a festival! I toldja ta get dolled up, Sousuke!"

"But, Captain," Aizen protested with a small smile on his face, "You're wearing normal clothes as well."

"I'm allowed ta dress like this 'cause I'm a captain!"

"I can't be the only one there wearing non-regulation clothes," Aizen said as he walked further into Shinji's room, "Besides, it's a memorial, not a festival."

"It'll be like a festival since we'll still be celebratin', ya know?" Shinji said with a shrug.

"No, it won't."

"Whatta nit-picker," Shinji muttered, turning away.

There was a small pause before Aizen spoke up again with a question.

"By the way, Captain, what's this music you have playing?" he asked, pointing to where the music player was.

"It's a new type 'a music from the real world!" Shinji explained with a grin, "Pretty nice, ain't it?"

"I'm not sure," Aizen replied after a brief hesitation.

"Then why'd ya bring it up?"

The door slid open again, revealing a female Shinigami with red hair standing in the doorway. "You're gonna be late if you dilly-dally, Shinji, Sousuke!" she informed the two men.

"Good morning, Kamikaze-san," Aizen replied.

Kamikaze Yui was still the Third Seat of the Fifth Squad. Over the past century, her hair had grown much longer. She kept it tied in a loose ponytail, which was slung over her left shoulder so it hung in front of her chest. Her zanpakuto was still strapped to her back and she developed a liking to keeping the sleeves of her Shinigami uniform rolled up to her elbows. However, she had also come to despise fighting, and hadn't been seen releasing her zanpakuto since the war with the group of human-beasts called the Minuit. Now, she always had a gentle and kind smile on her face, and she and Juushirou were the most popular couple in Seireitei.

"Please, Sousuke, just call me Yui," she reminded him with a small wave of her hand.

"If you insist...Yui-san."

"Right." Shinji clapped his hands together. "Thanks for the warnin', Yui. Sousuke and I'll get goin' now. Yer in charge 'til we get back."

"Got it," Yui answered as Shinji and Aizen left for the barracks of the First Division.

* * *

"Hello!" Shinji shouted at the great double doors, "Captain Hirako Shinji from the Fifth Squad over here! Could someone open the door?"

After a moment of silence, Shinji let out an exasperated sigh. "Sheesh, I hate it when we gotta go to the First Squad's barracks. It makes me nervous. That's why I never come here!"

"You certainly don't look like you're nervous," Aizen objected, "Please don't have a temper tantrum just because you're annoyed at having to come to the memorial."

"Shaddap!" Shinji snapped as the doors creaked open, "Ya can't even see my face from over there, Sousuke."

"The door's opened," Aizen pointed out, "Please go on in."

"Yeah, y...GAH!" Shinji grunted as a foot was shoved straight into his face. He went sailing past Aizen, slamming into the wall a couple yards away, as his attacker, Sarugaki Hiyori, landed on the ground triumphantly.

"'Sup, Dickhead Shinji!" she said loudly with a smirk on her face, "Your face was especially flat and easy for me ta stomp on today!"

Shinji got up, holding a hand to his bleeding nose. "Damn you, Hiyori!"

"What, I ain't gonna apologize!" Hiyori declared stubbornly.

"I haven't even said anything yet!"

A grin split Hiyori's face. "That means I really don't have to apologize!" Right after she finished speaking, the captain of the Seventh Division, Aikawa Love, appeared and cuffed her head. Aizen blinked in surprise.

"Say you're sorry, stupid!" Love snapped, "Man, you're such a...!"

"What's yer problem, Love?" Hiyori shouted, rubbing the sore spot on her head, "Ya think it's okay to go 'round smacking some other squad's lieutenant upside the head?"

"The Captain's not around, so someone has to keep an eye on you," Love retorted.

"Quit making it sound like I'm a kid!" Hiyori protested. She pointed at Shinji, "There ain't no reason for me to apologize to him! Just look at 'im! He pisses me off!" Shinji was currently making a very obscene face at the short, blonde lieutenant.

"Fine. Whatever." Love took hold of Hiyori's head and started to drag her back inside the First Squad's barracks.

"Lemme go!" As Hiyori struggled to get out of love's grip, Shinji ran forward a couple paces, continuing to taunt Hiyori by making the face.

Aizen, who had been watching the entire scene, chose now to say, "Captain, please stop instigating. Make sure to never make that face in front of our men."

* * *

"Is everyone here?"

"Pretty much."

"But the Eleventh Squad ain't here."

"He's playing hooky again."

"What?" Shinji grumbled, "I dunno who the 10th Kenpachi is, but he seems pretty dang laid back." He rubbed the back of his head. "Wonder how the hell a pig like him ever became a captain..."

"Captain!" Aizen protested.

"It couldn't be helped," Love said, "The Kenpachi has been the 11th Squad's captain for generations. That's how it's set up. If you want to place blame somewhere, blame the last Kenpachi who lost to him."

"Good point!" Shinji yawned, stretching his arms, "He was so boring, I yawned myself to tears!"

"What's this? I don't like it when I hear people speak ill of others behind their backs!" The arrival of a new person made the two captains, Aizen, and Hiyori turn their heads.

"Oh..." Shinji said as Kyouraku Shunsui, Ukitake Juushirou, and Yadomaru Lisa approached them.

"You're here pretty early today, aren't you, Shunsui-san?" Love noted.

"What are you talking about? I'm always the first one here," Shunsui replied.

Lisa stepped forward. "I grabbed his butt to wake him up today," she deadpanned.

Shunsui slumped forward. "Don't speak like that in front of the other captains," he admonished. Juushirou cast his glance to the squad tags that hung on the wall.

"I don't see Hikifune around," he remarked, "I guess she isn't coming here anymore."

Shunsui nodded. "It looks like she's already joined up with her new group."

"What a disappointment," Juushirou said as the seven of them walked down the hall, "It's not like we're in an emergency situation. She should have taken it a bit slower."

"You said it," Shunsui agreed.

"But ya know, we've been switchin' out captains one after another," Shinji said, "Rose just became the captain of the 3rd Squad two years ago. And now it's the 12th Squad. Are we gonna be okay?"

"Relax," Shunsui coaxed, "Everything has to change sooner or later. This is just one of those times. Come to think of it, Ukitake, Yama-ji, and I are the only ones who've been captains for over 100 years, right?"

"You forgot someone!" Juushirou reminded his friend, "Captain Unohana, remember?"

"Oh, that's right!" Shunsui exclaimed as they turned a corner, "She'd be livid if I forgot about her. Scary stuff."

"What's so scary?" Unohana's question made both Juushirou and Shunsui freeze in their tracks. _Speak of the devil, _they both thought.

"Uh...No, nothing!" Shunsui stammered, "We were just saying that the weather's so nice today that it's almost scary, right?" He gaze Juushirou a meaningful look.

"Y-Yeah," Juushirou quickly agreed. The two of them laughed nervously as Unohana approached them.

"My captain's such a dork," Lisa muttered.

"The 3rd Squad's captain died, and the 12th Squad's captain was promoted," Unohana said, "Even the 10th Squad's captain fell in the line of duty. Even so, we should be glad that things are peaceful."

"Promoted?" Aizen repeated, surprise evident in his voice.

"Hey, Sousuke!" Shinji started.

"My apologies! I overheard your conversation..." Aizen bowed.

"No, it's fine, Sousuke-kun. What is it?" Shunsui asked.

Aizen straightened up. "We lieutenants haven't been told anything about this. Is it true that the 12th Squad's Captain Hikifune got promoted and didn't retire?"

"That's right," Shunsui confirmed.

"A position higher than captain could only mean she's become part of the Central 46, right? But I've never heard of a captain getting promoted to Room 46 before..."

"It's not Room 46," Shunsui corrected, "She entered the Royal Guard, the Zero Squad."

Aizen's eyes widened to the size of yo-yos. "The Royal Guard?" he repeated disbelievingly.

"What's all this?" Someone interrupted their conversation, "Can I get through, please?"

The lieutenants turned around to see two captains behind them. "Our apologies," Aizen said.

Kuchiki Ginrei and Shihouin Yoruichi passed without a word, although Yoruichi gave the other captains a respectful nod as she walked by. Shinji watched Yoruichi as she walked away.

"Those two..." he muttered to himself.

* * *

A few days later, rumors of a new captain for the 12th Squad had spread around around Seireitei. When a captains' meeting was called, the rumors were only confirmed.

Muguruma Kensei, captain of the 9th Squad walked into the meeting room. "Apparently, we have a new captain. The old fart said to line up and wait for him," he told the other captains and lieutenants that were in the room.

Everyone got into their positions and waited. After a moment, the doors creaked open again to reveal a man with pale blonde hair standing there stupidly. As the other captains stared, Urahara Kisuke nervously rubbed the back of his head and said, "Uh, oh! Don't tell me I'm the last one to get here?"

"It looks like a real flake joined us," Shinji muttered to himself.

_Indeed. _Aizen studied the new captain warily.

"You're one to talk," Rose murmured to Shinji.

"Um, mind if I come in?" Kisuke asked, forgetting for a moment that he was a captain and therefore, _should _be going in.

"Quit screwing around!" Yoruichi ordered sharply, putting her hands on her hips, "You're a captain now! Come in with a little dignity, Kisuke."

"S-Sure..." Kisuke stuttered.

"That's right. Hurry up and get in!" Yamamoto had arrived behind Kisuke. The Soutaicho gave the 12th Squad's captain a sharp jab in the back with his cane, making Kisuke step into the room. Once Yamamoto entered the room himself, he stamped his cane into the floor.

"We shall now begin the welcoming ceremony for our newest member," he declared, "I believe that some of you have already heard about this, but seven days ago, Captain Hikifune Kirio from the 12th Squad was ordered to relinquish her post here so that she could be promoted. As such, the same day she was promoted we began searching for a new captain, and sent out notifications to each of you relaying as much. The following day, Captain Shihouin Yoruichi from the 2nd Squad nominated her 3rd Seat for the position, and I had him brought to me. Yesterday I, Yamamoto Genryuusai, along with three other captains, held the Captain Qualification Exam to see if he was worthy of this position. We determined that both his knowledge and personality were acceptable. As such, former 3rd Seat of the 2nd Squad, Urahara Kisuke, is now the new captain for the 12th Squad."


	15. Rukongai Mystery

Chapter 15: Rukongai Mystery

Nine years after Urahara Kisuke became captain...

"Hey, Yui," Shinji called to the redhead who was walking in front of him.

Yui paused and turned around, breaking off her conversation with Ninth Seat, Yaguki Shina. There was a look of confusion and curiosity on both of their faces as they watched Shinji and Aizen approach them.

"Yui, have ya heard about the vanishings in Rukongai lately?" Shinji asked.

"Vanishings?" Yui repeated, "I've heard some rumors, but I don't know all of the details."

"Well, there are Souls vanishing in Rukongai. I've been informed that their bodies just disappear into thin air, leaving only the clothes and shoes behind. There have been no clues as to what could have happened," Shinji explained.

"That's some disturbing news," Yui commented, "I can't think of what it may be."

"That's not all," Shinji interrupted, "A few days ago, ten Shinigami from the 9th Squad were sent to investigate. They haven't returned and no news have been sent."

"I see," Yui murmured, "Why are you telling me all this? Do you want me to go investigate the vanishings?"

"Not me exactly," Shinji corrected, "The old man ordered me to send the best member of my squad, someone that's not me or Aizen, to go find out what's going on out there."

Yui chuckled. "You flatter me, Shinji, but all right. I'll head out to Rukongai as soon as possible."

"Well, ya were my first lov..."

Shinji was interrupted by Shina, who delivered a heavy blow to her captain's face. "Shishou's off-limits, you perv!" she snapped, "Don't you dare try to steal her from Ukitake-san!"

"Calm down, Shina," Yui soothed her apprentice, "Shinji's just kidding around. You know how he says that to every girl he meets, although...I've noticed you never said that to Hiyori," she directed that last bit towards the captain, who was lying on the ground holding his bloody nose.

"Don't tell her," Shinji groaned with pain, "She'll beat me up first chance she gets. Ya trained yer apprentice well, Yui."

"Thank you, Shinji," Yui said as she placed a hand on Shina's shoulder, guiding the enraged brunette away, "Excuse us. We'll be leaving now."

"Yeah, yeah." Shinji got up from the floor, "Let's go, Sousuke." He began to walk away, not noticing Aizen's malicious smirk as the brown-haired lieutenant watched the redhead depart.

* * *

"Hmm? Hirako-taicho's sending you to Rukongai to investigate the incidents that have been occurring?" Juushirou repeated as Shunsui took a gulp of sake. Yui had just told them about her new mission, and Juushirou couldn't exactly say he was pleased that she was going solo.

"Yes. I just came to tell you that I'll be gone for a few days. I'm leaving soon," Yui said.

"You'll be alright?" Juushirou asked, giving her a hug and a quick kiss on her forehead.

"Of course, Snowdrop," Yui smiled reassuringly. Snowdrop was a nickname that she had come up with for Juushirou. She gave her boyfriend and her best friend one last wave before she left using Shunpo. After making sure she was gone, Shunsui sidled up to Juushirou and cleared his throat.

"What?" Juushirou turned to look at Shunsui, who had a sly grin on his face. Juushirou started to feel nervous. He knew that grin. It usually meant Shunsui was up to no good.

As if proving Juushirou's thoughts, Shunsui threw an arm around the white-haired captain's shoulders. "Say, Ukitake..."

"Wh-What?"

Shunsui gave his friend a side-along look. "When are you gonna ask for Yui-chan's hand in marriage?"

Juushirou choked on his tea. "K-Kyouraku!" Juushirou stuttered, blushing furiously.

Shunsui raised an eyebrow. "Come on now, Ukitake. You can't keep stalling. There's no telling if and when you might lose her forever."

Juushirou fidgeted uncomfortably. "I know that, but I don't know how to ask her."

Shunsui sighed at his friend's hopelessness. "You just get a ring, go up to her, get on one knee, hold out the ring, and ask 'Will you marry me?'. It's not too hard."

Juushirou still looked hesitant. "Man, Ukitake, I didn't think you'd still get this nervous around women," Shunsui commented, "Look, why are you so worried? If it's about your sickness, we already know that it's not contagious and Yui-chan doesn't care that you're sick or she would have ditched you a long time ago."

"It's not that." Juushirou shook his head, "What if she says no?"

"Well, if she doesn't want to marry you, then why is she still dating you?" Sensing that Juushirou had no reply, Shunsui decided to give him another nudge. "Want to ask Yama-ji if you can take a quick trip to the real world and get a ring?"

"Okay, okay," Juushirou gave in. Shunsui grinned, grabbed his friend by the arm, and began to Shunpo to the 1st Squad's barracks.

* * *

"Good news, Yama-ji!" Shunsui declared loudly as he and Juushirou walked into Yamamoto's office.

"Hmm?" The old man turned to look at them curiously, "What is it?"

"Ukitake here," Shunsui clapped Juushirou on the shoulder, "is finally going to ask Yui-chan to marry him!"

"Kyouraku!" Juushirou turned red again.

Yamamoto's eyes widened in surprise, then he closed them again. "About time," he huffed, "When are you going to ask her?"

'I-I was thinking after she comes back from her mission," Juushirou said hesitantly.

Yamamoto 'hmphed' in response. "You came to me for permission to go to the real world, didn't you?"

"Y-Yes."

Yamamoto banged his cane on the ground once. "Granted!" he boomed, "You have three days at most, and make sure you come back with a good ring."

"Thank you very much, Genryuusai-sensei!" Juushirou bowed and practically flew out of the office, Shunsui on his heels.

* * *

_Just for a bit more clarification, Ichimaru Gin is the Fourth Seat of the Fifth Squad, although he gets moved to Third Seat later. Shiba Kaien is currently the lieutenant of the 13th Squad, although Miyako is currently Fourth Seat, since Nabi Furin is still alive. I think that's all for now._

**_REVIEW!_**


	16. Disappearance

Chapter 16: Disappearance

One night...

Yui flash-stepped through the woods in Rukongai, keeping an eye out for strange activity. So far, all she had seen were piles of clothes, obviously the remains of the vanished souls. Unfortunately, there were no clues as to what could have caused the actual Souls to just disappear into thin air and leave their apparel behind.

_It's not Hollows, _Yui deduced, _Hollows would leave blood and any piece of clothing left would be shredded or at least torn. The Souls didn't just undress themselves, either. Nobody takes off their socks before taking off their shoes._

Something up ahead caught the redhead's eye. Yui flash-stepped over to the object that was laid out on the ground. As she picked it up, her eyes widened in shock.

_This is...a Shihakushou, a Shinigami uniform! _she realized. Glancing around, Yui noticed two more Shihakushou lying nearby, as well as a third one a couple feet away.

"No way..." Yui whispered to herself. The ten Shinigami from the 9th Squad had suffered the same fate as the citizens of Rukongai.

Quick as a flash, Yui stood up again, getting ready to head back to Seireitei and report her findings. However, before she could do anything else, her vision suddenly became black and the world became silent.

"Who's there?" Yui called warily, but unable to hear her own voice.

Her only response was the sword that was plunged through her chest.

* * *

"Well done, Kaname," Aizen praised the male Shinigami. "Now, let's see the results of our little experiment."

"If it's successful, she'll turn into a very powerful Hollow, won't she?" The young boy with silver hair spoke from next to lieutenant of the 5th Squad. He had a sinister grin on his face, and his eyes were narrowed to slits, giving him an appearance similar to a fox.

"That's right, Gin," Aizen confirmed.

Aizen, Tosen, and Ichimaru stood back, watching as a substance similar to white paste began to cover Yui's face. More of it began to cover the area from her knee to her foot as well as her forearms and hands. Some began to pile up into two peaks on her back.

Aizen chuckled. "I'm not surprised that her Hollow form has wings. Her zanpakuto is the most powerful wind-based sword after all." He turned around and started walking away. Gin and Tosen followed him, leaving Yui to finish Hollowfying.

* * *

A couple days later, Juushirou and Shunsui returned from the real world. Juushirou had found a ring which he believed that Yui would love, and he kept it hidden up his sleeve. The two of them made their way to the 5th Squad's barracks, intending to find out if Yui had returned yet. They ran into Shina at the entrance.

"Hey, is something wrong, Shina-chan?" Shunsui asked cautiously. The brunette looked very worried and frightened. Her eyes were a little red and slightly puffy, as though she had been crying.

"Y-You haven't heard, Kyouraku-san?" Shina asked, bewildered.

"Heard what? Ukitake and I have been in the real world, getting Yui-chan's wedding ring," Shunsui explained.

"O-Oh." Shina rubbed her eyes.

"Shina-san, what's wrong?" Juushirou was beginning to get worried, "Did something happen to Yui?"

"Sh-She's gone missing," Shina whispered, but both Juushirou and Shunsui managed to catch the words.

Time stopped for Juushirou, and the feeling of cold dread grew in the pit of Juushirou stomach. "Wh-What do you mean?" he choked out, feeling as though snakes were wrapped around his chest, constricting his breathing.

"Her reiatsu disappeared off the tracing chart," Aizen explained, coming up behind the two male captains, "Urahara-taicho has been trying to relocate her reiatsu for the past few days, but he hasn't had any luck so far. Contacting her through Kido is also a no-go. It's like casting a spell without even knowing what your target is."

"When did she go MIA?" Shunsui asked.

"Three days ago," Aizen answered, "A new investigation team was sent out yesterday to see if they can find her."

"Three days," Juushirou repeated hoarsely, "That was the same day we left for the real world." Without warning, he fell to his knees, coughing harshly. Blood seeped between his fingers and splattered the ground. As blackness pressed in on his vision, he could faintly hear the frantic cries of Shunsui and Shina and felt footsteps thudding on the wooden floor. Right before he passed out completely, he thought he heard Yui calling him from a distance.

* * *

When Juushirou woke up several hours later, he was lying on a hospital bed in the Healing Bay. A heart monitor next to his bed beeped, indicating a steady heartbeat, although Juushirou's chest felt heavy and sore.

The door opened and a familiar, brown-haired captain poked his head in. "Ah, you're awake, Ukitake," Shunsui noted, entering the room and shutting the door behind him.

"What...happened?" Juushirou rasped, his throat feeling as though he had swallowed a cactus.

"You fainted," Shunsui explained grimly, "That was the worst attack I've seen in a hundred years, Ukitake. You nearly gave me a heart attack."

Juushirou didn't respond, choosing instead to stare at the white ceiling. "News?" he croaked.

"Not good news, I'm afraid," Shunsui said, "Kensei's team has disappeared off the radar, just like how Yui did."

Juushirou's eyes widened as the 8th Squad's captain continued, "Yama-ji's hopping mad. I expect he'll call an emergency captains' meeting soon. Unohana-taicho said that you can attend it as long as you don't push yourself too hard."

Almost as if cued, the alarm began to sound, echoing across Seireitei. "Emergency! Emergency! All captains are to report to the 1st Squad's barracks immediately! An anomaly has occurred with the 9th Squad. The 9th Squad's captain Muguruma Kensei and Lieutenant Kuna Mashiro's reiatsu have completely vanished! An emergency meeting of all of the captains will commence immediately!"

Shunsui tilted his head towards the door. "You coming?"

"Yeah." Juushirou quickly got out of bed, and the two of them raced for the barracks of the 1st Squad.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hiyori was currently running through the forest in Rukongai, heading in the direction of where Kensei's team was supposed to be. _This's retarded! _she thought as she ran, _Kisuke's stupidity must be contagious. Besides, why do I have to work at the Technological Research Bureau anyway? Kisuke and that dickhead Mayuri can do that crap on their own! I can't believe they're makin' the entire squad help them research new technological crap!_

A sudden movement in front of her startled Hiyori out of her thoughts. She halted, staring into the trees with an alert expression on her face. "What's that?" she muttered.

She gasped and stumbled back a little as a pair of glowing, red eyes appeared from the darkness.


	17. Hollowfication

Chapter 17: Hollowfication

"This is an emergency!" Yamamoto declared to the other captains, "According to the report I received from the 9th Squad's reserves, we have lost reiatsu-reception from both Captain Muguruma Kensei and Lieutenant Kuna Mashiro, who were out in the field. The cause is unknown. And since we also lost reception on Kamikaze Yui a few days ago, we've entered a worst-case scenario. Before, these strange events occurred only in Rukongai, but now, we must solve this matter in order to protect our honor as the Gotei 13!"

He tapped his cane on the ground once and continued, "In response, I shall select five captains to investigate the area of the incident."

The Soutaicho was interrupted by Urahara Kisuke, who came bursting into the room, completely out of breath. Yamamoto directed a disapproving glare at the man.

"You're late, Urahara Kisuke!" he snapped.

Kisuke disregarded Yamamoto's anger. "Please let me go!" he practically begged. A few captains turned to stare at him questioningly.

Yamamoto opened his eyes. "You may not!"

"My lieutenant is heading over there right now! I...!" Kisuke started to protest.

Yoruichi cut him off. "Kisuke!" she spat angrily, "You're embarrassing yourself! Get your act together! You ordered your lieutenant to go, didn't you? Don't you see that by acting this way you're insulting her?!"

Kisuke was stunned into silence. Shunsui went up to him and patted his shoulder. "Come on, don't just stand there. Get in line," he coaxed as he lead the younger captain into the line.

Seeing that the disturbance was over, Yamamoto went on, "As I was saying, Captain Otoribashi Rojuro from the 3rd Squad, Captain Hirako Shinji from the 5th Squad, and Captain Aikawa Love from the 7th Squad shall go investigate the area. Captain Shihouin Yoruichi from the 2nd Squad shall stay on standby until further orders are issued. Captain Kuchiki Ginrei from the 6th Squad, Captain Kyouraku Shunsui from the 8th Squad, and Captain Ukitake Juushirou from the 13th Squad shall protect Seireitei! Captain Unohana Retsu from the 4th Squad shall prepare to heal the wounded and wait at the infirmary."

"Just one moment, Head Captain," Unohana said, "If I am to heal the injured, wouldn't it be best if I went out on the field as well?"

Yamamoto shook his head. "Since we do not know what is happening, we cannot afford to send the head of the medical corps out. I will be sending someone else." He raised his voice, "Enter!"

All captains turned to look at the double doors, which swung in to reveal the captain and lieutenant of the Kido Corps, Tsukabishi Tessai and Ushoda Hachigen.

"It's been a while since he's made a public appearance," Juushirou murmured to himself, staring at Tessai.

"So this is gonna be a pretty big deal, isn't it? Hoo, boy..." Shunsui muttered.

"I believe you already know the situation," Yamamoto spoke to the members of the Kido Corps, "I want both of you to go out and investigate."

"Very well," Tessai said.

"Understood," Hachigen answered.

Shunsui's eyes fell on the still-depressed Kisuke and he frowned. "Hey, Yama-ji," he suddenly said, raising his hand and pulling the edge of his sakkat over his eyes, "Sorry, but don't you think it's kind of a bad idea to send out the captain and lieutenant of the Kido Corps when we don't know what's out there?"

"Then what would you do?" Yamamoto asked.

Shunsui released his sakkat. "I'd send my lieutenant."

"Are you going to go get her now?" Juushirou asked curiously.

"Sure am!" Shunsui replied. He tilted his face towards the window and called, "Hey, Lisa-chan!"

His lieutenant immediately popped up from underneath the window. "What?" she asked irritably.

"See?" Shunsui asked Juushirou, who failed to find a suitable comment.

The captain of the 8th Squad turned back to Lisa. "I've told you not to spy on us during meetings, haven't I?"

"I can't help it. I'm curious. It's human nature, get over it," Lisa retorted bluntly.

"You heard?" Shunsui stopped joking around.

Lisa looked away. "Sure did."

"Can you handle it?"

"You bet!"

"Then please do," Shunsui said quietly.

Lisa gave her captain a thumbs-up and dashed out of there.

There was a brief silence before Yamamoto began to speak again. "I can't believe you!" he snapped at Shunsui.

"Hey, big happenings like this only come along once in a blue moon," Shunsui soothed, "As her superior, I want her to experience this first-hand. You know what I mean, right? She'll be fine! Despite her appearance, Lisa-chan is actually pretty strong." He turned to look at Tessai, "So would you let her go in your stead, Captain of the Kido Corps?"

"I don't mind," Tessai replied. He turned to leave, "I'm going to take you up on this offer and go back to bed." He cast a final glance at Kisuke before walking away.

Yamamoto tapped his cane on the ground once again. "As such, Otoribashi Rojuro, Hirako Shinji, Aikawa Love, Ushoda Hachigen, and Yadomaru Lisa, you are now part of a special squad tasked with discovering the cause of the vanishing souls!"

Those mentioned bowed their heads to the Soutaicho and disappeared immediately using Shunpo.

"Everyone is dismissed!" Yamamoto ended.

The rest of the captains began to depart one-by-one. As Shunsui passed Urahara Kisuke, he placed a comforting hand on the younger captain's shoulder. Kisuke started slightly as Shunsui spoke quietly into his ear, "Don't worry. Hiyori-chan's pretty strong! But of course, she's not as strong as my Lisa-chan. Don't worry about her so much," Shunsui said as he left, "Believing in your subordinates and waiting for them is part of our job as captains."

* * *

A howl ripped through the night as Hiyori fled from a dark shadow with red eyes. With another roar, the shadow raised a hand, preparing to deal a deadly blow on the small lieutenant. Hiyori managed to dodge at the last second, so the creature crushed the ground where she had been standing instead.

She skidded a few feet away from it, wiping her the corners of her mouth with the back of her hand. _Damn it! _she thought.

Suddenly, the shadow jumped at her again, a fist pulled back. A figure jumped out from behind Hiyori and deflected the attack with his sword. Hirako Shinji stood in front of Hiyori, holding his sword out in front of him.

"Shinji!" Hiyori gasped.

"You idiot. Why ain'tcha drawin' your katana?" Shinji asked.

Hiyori glared at Shinji and looked away. "You idiot...like I could."

The clouds uncovered the moon. Light shone down into the small clearing, showing the true identity of the shadow. Shinji let out a gasp and his eyes widened.

"Kensei?"

Muguruma Kensei no longer looked like a normal Shinigami. His face was covered by a mask that had six eye-holes and silver cylinders protruded from his back.

Footsteps behind Shinji and Hiyori announced the arrival of Lisa, Rose, and Love. "Shinji!" Lisa yelled.

"Are you okay, Hiyori?" Love asked. All three Shinigami suddenly halted as they saw the Hollowfied Kensei.

"K-Kensei!"

"What's going on?" Love questioned, staring at what became of the captain of the 9th Squad, "That's..."

"Is that really Kensei?" Rose inquired, "That mask...and his reiatsu...He's just like a Hollow!"

"I dunno if he's really Kensei or not..." Shinji murmured, "But I can tell ya we're all gonna die if we don't draw our swords."

As if confirming Shinji's statement, the Hollowfied Kensei released his reiatsu at full power, following by a loud roar that forced the group to retreat a few paces. Then, he disappeared and reappeared behind Love. The surprised captain barely had time to react before he took a powerful blow that enveloped him and Kensei in a cloud of smoke.

"Love!" Rose shouted, worry evident in his voice.

The smoke cleared to reveal Love holding his katana. Parts of his haori and Shihakusho were gone, exposing the right side of his chest. He was breathing heavily.

"He's strong. That's Kensei for ya!" he said.

"Don't! Don't you get it? That's Kensei!" Hiyori shouted from where she was being carried by Shinji, "This...!" She was cut off as a coughing fit wracked her body.

"Keep quiet, Hiyori," Shinji ordered. The lieutenant of the 12th Squad glanced up at Shinji, who continued, "We have to stop him. Even more so if he really is Kensei."

"That's right, Hiyori," Rose agreed, "We have to stop him because we care about him."

Hollow-Kensei let out a low snarl. Lisa unsheathed her sword. "Don't worry," she told Hiyori, "There's a million ways to stop people without killin' 'em. Let's cut off his limbs. You take the right side," she said to Rose.

"All right," Rose consented with a small grin.

The two of them jumped into the air. Lisa attacked first, slashing at Kensei's torso. Kensei dodged all of her attacks as Rose came down from above, holding his sword above his head. The 3rd Squad's captain swung down, but Hollow-Kensei blocked the blow with his forearm. Rose's blade left no mark on the skin.

"You're mine!" Lisa shouted. She swung her sword, but Kensei used his metal-covered fist to block the blade. He shoved Lisa and Rose away with a roar. The two skidded away, and as Rose raised his word again, a Hollowfied Mashiro attacked him from behind.

Lisa's eyes widened. "Move, Rose!" she tried to warn, but it was too late. Hollow-Mashiro slammed her foot down on Rose's head, sending the blonde captain back to the ground with a large crash.

"Rose!" Lisa cried, then turned her gaze to Mashiro. The lieutenant of the 9th Squad wore a bug-like mask and her lower body was encased in a white, paste-like substance.

"It's Mashiro!" Shinji realized.

With a screech, Hollow-Mashiro charged at Shinji at an alarming speed. Once she was close enough, she swung her foot down. Shinji raised his katana and blocked the attack, although the surrounding rock was crushed with the force of Mashiro's Hollow power. The green-haired female retreated for a second and came flying back for another attack. Shinji began to block all of her rounding kicks, despite the fact that it strained him greatly.

"Shinji, put me down!" Hiyori cried.

"Shaddap! You'll bite your tongue if ya keep yappin'!" Shinji retorted, still blocking Mashiro's powerful kicks with one hand.

Hollow-Mashiro hooked one leg around the blade of Shinji's sword and brought her other leg down, intending to strike a devastating blow.

"Gochuutekkan!"

Five silver pillars descended on top of Mashiro, pinning her to the ground. Hollow-Mashiro let out a screech before falling limp.

"Everyone's so fast!" Hachigen commented as he struggled to regain his breath.

"Hacchi!" Shinji said, obviously relieved.

"I'm glad I made it in time," Hachigen sighed. He turned his attention up into the sky where Kensei and Love were fighting. While Kensei was distracted, Hachigen raised his hand and shouted, "Bakudo No. 63: Sajo Sabaku!"

A yellow chain appeared from Hachigen's hand. He held onto one end while the other end wrapped itself tightly around Kensei. The Hollowfied Shinigami let out a howl as he dropped out of the sky like a brick. As he crashed to the ground, Hachigen turned to Shinji.

"Shinji-san, what on earth is going on here? Why is Kensei-san a...?"

He broke off as Kensei started to get up, breaking the binds of Sajo Sabaku as he went.

"Impossible! Bakudo No. 63 is...!" Hachigen started, stunned that the spell was being broken by brute force.

With a final wail, Kensei severed the ropes of the spell completely.

* * *

Outside the barracks of the 12th Squad, Urahara Kisuke quietly sneaked away wearing a black cloak, intent on going out to help Hiyori. However, he was stopped when Tsukabishi Tessai.

"You certainly created an unusual item."

Tessai stepped out from behind a corner of the barracks. "Why exactly would someone want to create an overcoat that completely cuts off their reiatsu?" he asked.

Urahara chuckled. "Whoops! Looks like you caught me!" A long silence between the two friends followed. Tessai broke it with another question.

"Are you going to save your lieutenant?" He paused for a moment before saying, "I thought that this might happen the moment I set eyes on you in the barracks."

"I'm impressed," Kisuke admitted.

Tessai bowed his head slightly. "We lived together in Yoruichi-dono's manor. Did you truly believe that I wouldn't figure it out?"

"Could you let me slip by?"

"That's a difficult request. I can't let you go there on your own."

Kisuke's eyes widened as he realized what Tessai was implying.

The captain of the Kido Corps went on, "I also feel an indescribable fear tonight." He held out his hand. "Come. Let's hurry on together! We must find them!"

* * *

_Next Chapter: Aizen's Plot_


	18. Aizen's Plot

Chapter 18: Aizen's Plot

Shunsui walked calmly down a passage in Seireitei. Two Shinigami guards came towards him from the opposite direction. The captain of the 8th Squad paused in his walk and grinned at the guards. "Hiya! Thanks for doing your rounds!"

The two guards immediately stood up as straight as they could. "C-Captain Kyouraku!"

"Is something the matter? You're out so late..." One of the guards asked hesitantly.

"No, I was just having a tough time falling asleep," Shunsui answered. _Ukitake probably isn't asleep either, _he thought, _He probably won't sleep again until Yui-chan is found..._

He turned to look up at a Shinigami that was walking around, holding a stack of papers. The Shinigami turned around, revealing that he was Aizen Sousuke. Aizen gave Shunsui a polite nod, which the tall captain returned.

"I guess I was just being paranoid," Shunsui mumbled to himself.

"Huh?" The two guards were bewildered.

"Well, it looks like Lieutenant Aizen's having a bout of insomnia, too," Shunsui commented as he turned around to leave, "You two should go to bed soon, too."

"Good night, Captain Kyouraku!"

When Shunsui arrived back at his division's barracks, he was surprised to see a little girl standing on the grass, clutching a large book. "Oh, my."

"Um..." The little girl started shyly.

"Let's see..." Shunsui said as he approached the girl, "You're Ise Nanao-chan, aren't you?"

Nanao seemed surprised that her captain remembered her name. "R-Right! I'm honored that you remember my name!"

Shunsui chuckled at how adorable she sounded. "Well, you are the youngest person in my squad! And you see, I like to note all the young ladies' names. And besides, you always come pay me a visit once a month." He looked at the sky. "Oh, that's right. Today's the first!"

"Yes..." Nanao confirmed, "So I was hoping I could read together with Lieutenant Yadomaru again this month."

"I see," Shunsui murmured, "But I'm very sorry. Lisa-chan isn't here tonight."

Nanao raised her eyes to Shunsui's face. "Why not?"

"She's doing an important job," Shunsui explained, "She'll be okay! She'll be back by dawn. I guarantee it."

* * *

Lisa grunted in pain as she hit the ground. Kensei flew at her from above, only to be intercepted by a Sokatsui that Rose fired.

"Don't do it!" Rose warned Hollow-Kensei, "Kensei...wasn't a weak man...who would hurt a lady!"

Kensei let out a low hiss as he rose from where he hit the ground. Lisa got up, too, though with a little difficulty due to the pain from her wounds. "Yo, you okay, Lisa?" Shinji asked.

"I'm just fine!" Lisa lied.

"Ya don't look fine," Shinji observed.

"Shut your ass up!" Lisa snapped.

"But we can't keep doing this forever," Rose said as he got to his feet. He winced slightly as his head gave a painful throb.

Lisa turned to the lieutenant of the Kido Corps. "Hacchi, can't you do somethin'?"

Before Hacchi could answer, a beam of silver light exploded from the trees, striking Kensei square in the chest. The four Shinigami stared in shock as a lithe shape burst from the trees and landed neatly in between Kensei and the Shinigami.

The newcomer had white substance covering from her knees to her feet, similar to Mashiro's legs, except it ended with knee guards. Her forearms were covered in the same substance, complete with elbow guards. Her hands were coated as well, with sharp, deadly-looking claws on her fingers. A pair of white, dragon-like wings were folded on her back. Her mask was similar to the head of the Pokémon called Gardevoir, except red eyes peeked through the black eye-holes and there was no sign of a mouth. Long red hair, spilled out from underneath the mask, falling down her back.

"That's...!" Rose started, shock evident in his voice and on his face. Lisa looked too stunned to say anything.

"Yui!" Shinji gasped in horror.

"She can...control herself?" Lisa wondered, having gotten over her initial surprise.

Just then, Hollow-Yui crouched slightly, getting ready to attack Hollow-Kensei. As the male got up from where he hit the ground, Yui shot forward as fast as lightning. With a quick swipe of her clawed hands, gashes appeared on Kensei's Hollowfied body, making him scream with pain.

Shinji suddenly got an idea. "Hacchi, quick! Use a Bakudo on Kensei while Yui's distracting him!"

"Good idea!" Rose complimented.

"Hurry, Hacchi!" Lisa urged.

"Bakudo No. 99: Kin!" Hacchi shouted, clapping his hands together in a hand sign.

Black fabric bindings and iron shafts appeared out of thin air, flying towards where the two Hollowfied Shinigami fought. Hollow-Yui jumped into the air to avoid the spell, but Hollow-Kensei got caught. His arms were bound and he fell to the ground with a large crash.

"Finally," Lisa sighed, "Now let's...!"

She was cut off by a silver beam of light that came flying at the group. They barely managed to dodge it, landing a couple feet away from where they originally stood.

"What the...?" Rose asked, but his question was answered as his eyes fell on Hollow-Yui, who was facing them. A low snarl rumbled in her throat.

"Che," Shinji muttered, "She isn't in control. It's a Hollow's instinct to attack anything that poses a threat to them. Her Hollow instincts just made her believe that Kensei was a threat. And now that Kensei's down..."

"She's going to come after us," Lisa finished.

"Shin...Shin...ji..."

Shinji glanced down at Hiyori, whom he was still carrying with one arm.

"Let...go...of me!" As Hiyori finished speaking, white paste-like substance poured from her mouth. The next second, Shinji was slashed across his chest as Hiyori tilted her head back and let out an ear-splitting roar, a skull-like Hollow mask covering her face. The rest of the Shinigami forgot about Hollow-Yui and ran to subdue the Hollowfied Hiyori, which is why it was a good and bad thing that they all fell victim to Tosen's Bankai, Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Kōrogi.

When the pitch-blackness finally lifted, the only one left standing was the user of the Bankai, Tosen Kaname. The only ones conscious, besides Tosen, were Shinji and Hiyori.

"Tosen!" Shinji hissed, "Why? You...betrayed Kensei...your own captain?"

"He didn't betray anyone," Aizen had just arrived with Gin, "He's quite loyal. In fact...he obeyed every order that I gave him. Please don't get angry with him, Captain Hirako."

"Aizen...?" Shinji growled, "I knew it! So you started all this!"

"Then you noticed?" Aizen asked, "I'm not surprised."

"'Course I did!" Shinji snarled, glaring at Aizen with hate-filled eyes.

"Since when?"

"Since you were kickin' around in your mama's womb," Shinji retorted.

Aizen blinked indifferently. "I see."

"I always...knew ya were dangerous; that ya weren't a man to be trusted," Shinji went on, "That's why I chose ya to be my lieutenant. It was so I could watch you, Aizen!"

Aizen scoffed lightly. "Yes, and I'm most grateful, Captain Hirako. Thanks to your constantly doubting me, you never even realized."

"I just said that I did!" Shinji spat aggressively.

"No, you didn't see a thing," Aizen corrected, "For this whole month, I wasn't the one walking behind you. I can...make my enemies believe anything I want them to. That's my zanpakuto's, Kyouka Suigetsu's, true ability. I refer to its power as...absolute hypnosis."

"Absolute hypnosis?" Shinji repeated.

Aizen lowered his sword. "You're a clever man, Captain Hirako. If you had treated me the same way the other captains treat their lieutenants, you might have seen through it. But you never tried. Since you never trusted me, you always kept me at arms length. You never opened your heart to me, never shared any information. You never tried to know me. And that is why you never noticed...when I had someone else take my place." Aizen sheathed his katana. "I had my substitute memorize my behavioral patterns and the way I interacted with you and the other captains. If you had truly formed a relationship with me, you would have noticed slight differences in our ticks and mannerisms. The reason you're down on the ground right now is all because you never bothered to get to know me." He paused. "Did you understand all of that, Captain Hirako?"

"Aizen..." Shinji started.

"And one more thing," Aizen interrupted, "You said that you selected me as your lieutenant so you could keep an eye on me. But that's incorrect."

"What?"

Aizen continued to explain. "Just as captains have the right to appoint their own lieutenants, the candidate has the right to reject the offer. Of course, that's hardly ever happened. But nevertheless, I had the option of not becoming your lieutenant. So why did I take it?"

Aizen smirked as Shinji gnashed his teeth.

"Because you were perfect," the traitor answered his own question, "Your suspicious nature and caution around me created the ideal environment for my plans. Now do you understand? You didn't choose me. I chose you, Captain Hirako. You should take the chance to apologize to your friends. They're on the ground, bleeding and unconscious, because I chose you."

Shinji lost it. "Aizen!" he yelled, seizing his sword and shooting to his feet. He raised his sword, but stopped when white paste came spewing out of his mouth and eyes. He choked, noticing that his vision was going blurry.

"Thank you for letting my little taunts anger you," Aizen continued to torment Shinji.

"Damn it!" Shinji coughed, "Me, too?!" Noises coming from behind him made the captain turn to see the same sticky, white paste spouting from the faces of his unconscious friends. He stared in disbelief for a while before rounding on his lieutenant.

"Aizen! What's going on?" he shouted furiously. Another jolt of pain went through his body, making him cry out and fall to his knees.

"It seems Hollowfication proceeds quicker if the subject is agitated," Aizen noted.

"Hollowfication? What's...that?" Shinji questioned, his voice hoarse.

"You don't need to know," Aizen replied. Shinji let out another scream as more pain attacked his body. A few feet away, Hiyori was struggling to keep control of her body.

"Shin...ji!" Her gaze shifted to Aizen, who looked at Tosen.

"Kaname." That one word gave Tosen a detailed explanation of what Aizen wanted him to do.

"Yes, sir!" The blind Shinigami replied, raising his sword.

Shinji's eyes widened at what Tosen was about to do. "Don't!" he shouted, but it was too late.

Tosen slashed Hiyori with his sword. Blood flew through the air as Hiyori fell to the ground, defeated. Shinji charged at Tosen. Their swords clashed together and Tosen jumped back.

"I don't get what's goin' on," Shinji said, "but I wouldn't assume everythin's gonna go accordin' to plan just yet."

Aizen observed Shinji. "The Hollowfication's already progressed so far, and yet..."

Shinji and Tosen continued to exchange blows. After a few rounds, Tosen ended up being pushed back. He skidded a few feet away, panting hard.

"Looks like he's holdin' it back," Gin commented.

"Yes, it does indeed," Aizen agreed, not smiling.

Tosen regained his composure, running at Shinji and swinging his sword. Shinji dodged by jumping into the air, but Tosen followed him. They exchanged a couple blows, but with a powerful swing, Shinji sent Tosen flying back into the ground. Shinji jumped down after him, breathing heavily from the strain of holding off his Hollowfication.

"You've been most fascinating to watch," Aizen told Shinji, "But I'm done with you now. Let's put an end to this, Captain Hirako."

"Stop right there, Aizen!" Someone yelled.

3rd Seat of the 13th Squad, Nabi Furin, stood defiantly at the edge of the clearing with her sword unsheathed. She glared at the brown-haired lieutenant of the 5th Squad, who stared back at her apathetically.

"You idiot!" Shinji bellowed at Furin, "What are ya tryin' ta do? Get yerself killed?"

"I'm going to stop him and bring Kamikaze-san back!" Furin hollered back, "Ever since Kamikaze-san went missing, Captain Ukitake's sickness has been getting worse. He's loved her since they were in the Shin'o Academy together, and he's gonna ask her to marry him. If she dies, then he'll probably let his illness kill him!"

Aizen's eyebrows rose. "Oh? But Kamikaze-san is already dead." He gestured to where the Hollowfied redhead lay unconscious in a pool of blood.

Furin's fury rose. "You bastard!" she shrieked as she charged at Aizen with her sword raised.

Nobody saw him move. One second he was standing next to Gin, and the next he was standing next to Furin. Time stopped for a moment before a deep, fatal wound appeared at the area of where her heart was. Furin was dead before she even hit the ground.

"No!" Shinji shouted.

Aizen turned back to the 5th Squad's captain, unsheathing his sword in the process. "Goodbye, Captain Hirako." He raised his katana high above his head, ready to bring it down as a killing blow.

Suddenly, a cloaked figure appeared from the woods and attacked Aizen, cutting the lieutenant badge from Aizen's arm. The newcomer landed in a crouch on the ground and straightened up.

Aizen looked mildly surprised. "I see," he said softly, "We have even more interesting guests."

Urahara Kisuke and Tsukabishi Tessai have arrived.

* * *

_Next Chapter: Exile_


	19. Exile

Chapter 19: Exile

The day after Shinji and the others were sent to get to the bottom of the Rukongai mystery, Jushiro and Shunsui were sitting in Ugendo, playing Shogi. The sky was calm, with clouds floating past lazily. Birds chirped at other birds from the branches of trees. The koi fish in swam in playful circles, chasing each other through the water with a flick of their tails.

"I believe I win," Jushiro said as he made his final move.

"Ah, you're right!" Shunsui agreed, examining the board. "Wanna play again?"

Jushiro was about to answer when the alarm began to sound. "Emergency! Emergency! All captains and lieutenants please report to the barracks of the 1st Squad immediately. There are no exceptions. Failure to attend will result in severe consequences. I repeat...!"

The two captains quickly stood up. With a burst of Shunpo, their surroundings became a blur as they raced towards the 1st Squad's quarters. Other than Yamamoto and the lieutenant of the 1st Squad, Sasakibe Chojiro, Shunsui and Jushiro were the first ones to arrive. The other captains weren't far behind them though. Soon, everyone was gathered and in position, but both Jushiro and Shunsui noticed that there were several captains and a few lieutenants missing.

Shihouin Yoruichi, Otoribashi Rojuro, Hirako Shinji, Aikawa Love, Yadomaru Lisa, Kuna Mashiro, Muguruma Kensei, Sarugaki Hiyori, and Urahara Kisuke weren't present. This could only mean bad news.

"Attention, all of you," Yamamoto said, "As you have noticed, there are many that are not present, but the reason I called you here is to discuss their absence."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "Otoribashi Rojuro, Hirako Shinji, Aikawa Love, Yadomaru Lisa, Kuna Mashiro, Muguruma Kensei, Sarugaki Hiyori, lieutenant of the Kido Corps Ushoda Hachigen, and 3rd Seat Kamikaze Yui have all been Hollowfied."

"Hollowfied?" Jushiro echoed, "What does that mean?"

"It means that the Shinigami I just mentioned have had Hollow souls inserted into their original souls, therefore breaking the boundary between Hollow and Shinigami," Yamamoto explained, "According to reports that I received, the nine former Shinigami have become monsters lacking reason, and their souls will eventually self-destruct."

Practically all captains were wide-eyed by now. "Soutaicho," Unohana said with a hint of desperation in her voice, "You can't mean that they will die!"

Yamamoto bowed his head. "That is exactly what I mean."

"But why aren't Urahara and Shihouin here?" Shunsui asked, "They weren't Hollowfied as well, were they?"

Yamamoto's gaze turned into a glare. "They, along with Tsukabishi Tessai, are no longer welcome in Soul Society."

"What? Why?"

"The Hollowfication of the nine former Shinigami is the work of Urahara Kisuke," Yamamoto revealed, to an even greater shock of the captains and lieutenants. Ignoring the gasps that went around the room, he went on, "Urahara Kisuke was conducting Hollowfication experiments in his laboratory. When he was discovered, Shihouin Yoruichi helped him escape from the Central 46."

"But what did Tsukabishi Tessai do?" Unohana inquired.

"He was charged with the usage of two forbidden Kido spells," Yamamoto answered, "Unfortunately, he also escaped with Urahara, Shihouin, and the Hollowfied Shinigami. Their whereabouts are currently unknown."

"I don't believe it."

All eyes turned to Jushiro, who stood his ground defiantly and stared at Yamamoto. The tension in the air was so thick that it felt almost suffocating. Kaien stared at his captain as though the white-haired man had grown wings. Aizen watched the captain of the 13th Division with a wary glint in his eyes.

"What don't you believe, Ukitake Jushiro?" Yamamoto asked, his voice level.

"I don't think that Kisuke-kun would have done such a thing," Jushiro replied.

The Head Captain scrutinized his apprentice for a few seconds. "The nine who were Hollowfied were found unconscious in Urahara Kisuke's lab along with some devices that conduct Hollowfication. The clues all point to him; what makes you doubt it?"

"I just know that he would never do something like that," Jushiro explained fiercely, "He...!" A harsh bout of coughing interrupted him, forcing the diseased man to stop in the middle of his explanation. He clapped a hand to his mouth, attempting and failing to stem the flow of blood from his mouth. Within seconds, Jushiro found himself fainting once again in the course of a few days.

* * *

When Jushiro woke up, he found himself once again in the Healing Bay. Frustration surged in his chest and he bit back a noise of fury and grief. Only then, did he noticed Shunsui sitting next to his bed.

"Awake again, Ukitake," Shunsui greeted his bedridden friend in the same carefree voice he always used.

Jushiro stared up at the ceiling bitterly. "I didn't convince Genryuusai-sensei, did I?"

Shunsui's silence was what Jushiro was expecting. "Were there any other news?"

"Well," Shunsui heistated slightly before plowing on, "Central 46 has decreed that if any of the twelve former Shinigami are captured in the future, they should be executed immediately."

Jushiro covered his face with one hand. "Oh, no..." he moaned miserably, "Is there...nothing we can do?"

For once, Shunsui wasn't smiling. "I don't know," he admitted, "We can only hope that Urahara Kisuke can find a way to reverse the Hollowfication. After all, he is a genius scientist."

Jushiro lifted his hand and stared at his friend. "Shunsui, you..." he started incredulously.

Shunsui's lips twitched in a half-smile. "That's right. I don't think Urahara is guilty of Hollowfication either."

* * *

For the next 101 years, life in Soul Society continued without the twelve former Shinigami.

The 2nd Division gained a new captain called Soifon, who was Yoruichi's apprentice. She had idolized the purple-haired woman for years, and took Yoruichi's departure as though the latter had died. The new lieutenant, Omaeda Marechiyo, spent every waking second stuffing his face with food, which annoyed Soifon to no end.

Ichimaru Gin was appointed the new captain of the 3rd Division. The sadistic man was not trusted very well by his Squad members, but it didn't faze him one bit. Years later, Gin chose a blonde-haired Shinigami, Kira Izuru, to be his lieutenant.

The 4th Division didn't change much, aside from the new lieutenant, Kotetsu Isane. Other than that, the 8th Seat Ogido Harunobu spent some time grieving for Yui, since it was mostly because of her that he was able to transfer into Unohana's Squad.

Aizen became the captain of the 5th Division, and picked Hinamori Momo to be his lieutenant. He still donned the guise of being a kind and gentle captain and was looked up to by many, especially Hinamori. However, he still did constant research on the Hogyoku, formulating a strategy to get his hands on Urahara Kisuke's Hogyoku.

Kuchiki Ginrei retired, latting his grandson, Kuchiki Byakuya take his place. The previous lieutenant for the 6th Division was replaced by a redhead called Abarai Renji.

The new captain of the 7th Division, Komamura Sajin, always wore a helmet that covered his entire head. Nobody in Seireitei knew what his face looked like, not even his lieutenant, Iba Tetsuzaemon.

Kyouraku Shunsui did feel somewhat guilty about what happened to Lisa and was quite upset about what happened to Yui. He went out drinking a lot, leaving his poor Ise Nanao to do all the paperwork, although Shunsui never did much paperwork to begin with.

Tosen Kaname took over the 9th Division, selecting Hisagi Shuuhei to be his lieutenant.

Shiba Isshin had become the captain of the 10th Division for a while with Matsumoto Rangiku as his lieutenant. However, he left Soul Society shortly after, leaving the post of captain to the child prodigy, Hitsugaya Toshiro.

Kiganjo Kenpachi, captain of the 11th Division, was challenged and killed by Zaraki Kenpachi, therefore losing his title as captain as well as his life. The new Kenpachi and lieutenant Kusajishi Yachiru were always seen together, despite the differences in their personalities.

The position of the 12th Division's captain was taken by Urahara Kisuke's 3rd Seat, Kurotsuchi Mayuri, who in turn created his own daughter, Kurotsuchi Nemu, to be his lieutenant.

Ukitake Jushiro was getting ill more and more often, grieving for Yui's misfortune yet also relieved that she was still alive, and hiding in the real world. He kept the ring, hoping...no, _knowing _that Yui would come back to Soul Society one day. The 13th Division was without a lieutenant, seeing that Shiba Kaien and his wife, Shiba Miyako had died fighting a Hollow called Metastacia. The new 3rd Seats were Kotetsu Kiyone and Kotsubaki Sentaro, but Jushiro never replaced Kaien.

101 years passed by without too big of an incident, just like the calm before a storm.

* * *

_Next chapter: Hiding the Hogyoku_


	20. Hiding the Hogyoku

_Chapter 20: Hiding the Hogyoku_

_Opening Song: *~Asterisk~_

A light-skinned man with pale blonde hair and grey eyes sat alone in a room. He wore a brown coat over green shirt and pants and a green-and-white-striped hat on his head. Rays of dying sunlight peeked in through the window, illuminating the small object that he held in his hand.

The object was no bigger than the man's fist, but it glowed with a bluish-purple light. The man stared down at it unblinkingly, as though mesmerized by it. However, there was a glint of something like frustration or disapproval in his eyes, suggesting that he wasn't mesmerized by the orb he held. He clenched his hand around it as he heard a pair of footsteps approach his room.

The footsteps stopped outside his door. "Boss?" The voice of Tsukabishi Tessai came from the other side of the sliding door, "They're back."

The man put the orb in his pocket and stood up to open the door. A tall, muscular, lightly-tanned man stood in front of him. His hair was cornrowed and there was a large handlebar mustache underneath his nose, which was connected to his sideburns. He wore rectangular glasses and a blue apron over a white shirt and regular pants.

"Thank you, Tessai-san," the man said with a small smile. He turned to the back of the shop building and raised his voice slightly, "Ururu! Jinta! Come on out!"

Ururu and Jinta both came out from the back of the shop, Jinta grumbling slightly. The four of them proceeded to walk to the front of the shop, where the blonde-haired man slid open the front door to see two women standing at the front of the shop.

One of the women had long purple hair tied up in a ponytail, golden eyes, and dark skin. She wore black pants and an orange shirt, and there was something cat-like about her appearance.

The other woman wore a white blouse and jeans that were torn at the knees and frayed at the ends of the legs. Her long red hair was tied in a loose ponytail, which was slung over her left shoulder.

"Yoruichi-san! Kamikaze-san!" The man greeted happily, fanning himself with a paper fan that he seemed to have pulled out of nowhere.

"Yo!" Yoruichi replied, smirking, "You're doing well, Kisuke!"

"Sure am!" Urahara Kisuke beckoned the women inside, "How are you, Kamikaze-san?"

"I'm fine, Kisuke, thank you," Kamikaze Yui smiled, "This Gigai works really well. I'm impressed."

"Why, I'm flattered," Kisuke chuckled lightly. Yui laughed as she reached into her pocket and took out a small vial filled with red liquid. Kisuke's eyes brightened as she passed it to him. "You nicked it!" he exclaimed delightedly.

"Well, of course," Yui joked, "You couldn't expect me to waltz into Soul Society and ask Kurotsuchi Mayuri for it, could you?" Her face became serious. "Please do your best, Kisuke."

Kisuke's grin slid off his face. "Of course," he said quietly.

"...Thank you."

"It's my pleasure, Kamikaze-san!" Kisuke said, waving his hand.

"Anyway, Kisuke," Yoruichi said in a business-like tone, "You sensed that Soul Society has sent a Shinigami to deal with the Hollows in Karakura Town, yes?"

"Of course I did!" Kisuke said in a bubbly voice. He stood up and began to bustle about, pulling out an unused Gigai from a separate room. He patted the Gigai's chest, "In fact, I just noticed that the Shinigami might need some help. I'll be back!" With a swish of his coat, he exited the shop with his cane, his sandals making clip-clop noises with each step he took.

"That Kisuke...he's really gonna do it," Yoruichi murmured, staring at the Gigai that the shop owner had left on the floor.

"It's not going to work," Yui said flatly, "But once he gets started on something, you can't make him stop."

* * *

Kisuke hummed to himself as he walked down the silent and empty street, heading in the direction of where he had felt the sudden fluctuation and disappearance of a spiritual pressure. He guessed that some Shinigami had just passed off his or her powers to a human. He had a pretty good idea about who had received the powers: Kurosaki Ichigo, the son of Kurosaki Isshin.

Kisuke and Isshin had met a long time ago when the latter's wife had needed help against potential Hollowfication. Kisuke had taken the pair and Ishida Ryuuken into his shop and helped to stop the Hollowfication. Since then, Isshin hadn't returned to Soul Society.

As Kisuke rounded a corner, he saw a petite figure garbed in white sitting on the side of the street. He grinned to himself. The Shinigami was a short female with black hair, light skin, and violet colored eyes. A few strands of hair hung between her eyes, which stared at Kisuke suspiciously as the latter approached.

"Hey, there," Kisuke greeted, one hand on his bucket hat, "Need a Gigai?"

The girl gazed at Kisuke silently for a few seconds. "Who are you?" she asked.

"Ah, where are my manners?" Kisuke made a 'tsk' noise, "I am Urahara Kisuke, the owner of Urahara Shop. Nice to meet you."

"Are you...a Shinigami?" The girl interrogated.

"I guess you could say that," Kisuke replied thoughtfully, "Anyway, please come with me. I have a Gigai prepared for you." He turned and began to walk away. Listening carefully, he could hear the girl following him.

When they got back to the shop, Yoruichi and Yui were nowhere to be seen. However, the Gigai Kisuke had gotten out before he left was still lying on the ground, where he last placed it except it was clothed this time.

"Go ahead!" Kisuke encouraged energetically, "Get in."

The girl hesitantly entered the Gigai, which immediately took on her features and body shape. She opened her eyes and experimentally flexed her fingers, staring in awe.

"How does it feel, miss?" Kisuke asked, fanning himself.

"It feels a little stiff..." she started hesitantly.

"Oh, the stiffness is what all Shinigami feel. It's perfectly natural. Other than that, how does it feel?"

"It feels fine. Thank you very much, Urahara-san."

"No problem! Oh, and you never told me your name."

"Ah, my apologies. I'm Kuchiki Rukia."

"Well, then, Kuchiki-san, you can stay the night here in one of the shop's spare rooms, but I'm afraid that I'll have to kick you out after that," Kisuke peered at the small girl from underneath the edge of his hat, "I'm very sorry for the inconvenience."

"No, I should be thanking you for allowing me to stay the night," Rukia objected, "And it's no inconvenience: I already have a place in mind."

"Oh? Does this place happen to be the house of the human you gave your Shinigami powers to?" Kisuke inquired. Rukia's face immediately paled. "Don't worry; I won't tell Soul Society!" Kisuke reassured, "I'm just curious."

"Y-Yeah," Rukia stammered, "I plan to go over there."

Kisuke smiled. "Well, let me show you to your room. Feel free to ask for anything you want." He got up and beckoned to Rukia, who followed him obediently. The blonde-haired man slid open a door, revealing an unused room with a folded Japanese-style futon. "Make yourself comfortable." He shut the door, leaving Rukia to look around the room.

_Ending Song: Life is Like a Boat_


	21. Anticipation for Soul Society

_Chapter 21: Anticipation for Soul Society_

_Opening Song: *~Asterisk~_

A few weeks after Kisuke gave Rukia the Gigai, Yui received a call from Yoruichi.

"Hello?"

'Yui? I need your help."

"What for? Is Kisuke harassing you?"

"No, no. This has nothing to with Kisuke. At least, not really."

"Okay. What is it?"

"You know that Shinigami that Kisuke gave a Gigai to a few weeks ago?"

"Kuchiki Rukia?"

"Yeah, her. Well, a few days ago, Soul Society sent two Shinigami to take her back. They succeeded."

"So the Hogyoku is in Soul Society right now?" Yui gasped, tightening her grip on the phone slightly.

"Unfortunately. Now listen, we've got a group of fighters who's willing to break into Soul Society to get the Hogyoku back, but they're under the impression that we're going to save Rukia from execution, which is essentially the same as retrieving the Hogyoku."

"Who's part of the group?"

"Two humans, Inoue Orihime and Yasutora Sado. Maybe a Quincy called Ishida Uryuu, and a Shinigami called Kurosaki Ichigo."

"What an interesting group."

"Yeah, but right now, Ichigo is being trained by Kisuke to hone his powers, and I'm in charge of training the humans. I want you to come."

"What about the Quincy? And why do you need my help?"

"The Quincy is training by himself, and I want you to fight Orihime and Sado to help them gain gain experience. I don't feel like revealing my true form to them yet."

"Sure, I'll help. Kisuke isn't sending the four of them alone, is he?"

"Nope. I'm going as a guide."

"That's good. The four of them won't last five minutes by themselves."

"Agreed. Now come to this place for the training session..."

* * *

When Yui arrived at the abandoned warehouse, Yoruichi and the two humans, Orihime and Sado, were already there.

Orihime was a young woman of average height with brown eyes and waist-length burnt orange hair. Yui could immediately tell that this girl probably couldn't kill anyone, enemy or no. She just looked too kind, and her reiatsu had no intention of hurting anyone.

Sado, also known as Chad, was a dark-skinned, Mexican teenager with pronounced cheekbones and wavy brown hair that covered his eyes. He was tall, muscular, and looked much older than he actually was.

"You two, this is Kamikaze Yui. She will be helping you hone your skills as well," Yoruichi announced in her cat form.

"Nice to meet you," Yui said, smiling at the two.

"Nice to meet you," Chad and Orihime echoed, the latter a little more energetically than the former. They introduced themselves and Yoruichi went on to explain what they were going to be doing.

"Orihime and Sado, you two will attack Yui. Try to land a hit on her. If you succeed, good. If you fail..."

"I'll kill you," Yui said with a small smile. Orihime and Cha visibly paled.

"Yui won't be using any of her Shinigami powers except for Hakuda. Meanwhile, you two are allowed to use your powers to their fullest extent. Hopefully, you won't fail miserably. Good luck." With that , Yoruichi curled up on a wooden crate nearby, signaling that they should begin.

* * *

On the night of August 8th, at 1 in the morning, Kisuke stood in front of his shop, waiting for the Soul Society infiltration party to show up. Chad arrived first, and the two of them greeted each other. Chad sat down on a nearby crate as the two of them waited for Ichigo, Orihime, Uryuu, Yoruichi, and Yui.

Ichigo arrived next. "Oh, Kurosaki-san!" Kisuke said in greeting, "You're right on time! Good, good."

"Chad!" Ichigo exclaimed, "Why're you here?"

"Kuchiki Rukia," Chad explained, "...saved me once. I'm going too."

"Huh?" Ichigo took a step back in surprise, "Wait...what?"

"What? They didn't tell you?" Uryuu asked from behind Ichigo, having just arrived.

"Ishida!" Ichigo was getting more and more surprises as the night went on.

"I can't let it end with me losing to those Shinigami," the Quincy declared, "I'll go, too."

"Now we're all here," Orihime chimed in, arriving from Ichigo's right.

"Inoue?"

"Pleased to be working with you," Orihime said, bowing to Ichigo.

"Huh? Wai...hold on! Wha-wha-what? What is all this?" Ichigo stammered.

"He's pretty slow, isn't he?" Yoruichi said in her cat form.

"Yoruichi-san!" Orihime smiled at the black cat.

"Boy!" Yoruichi addressed Ichigo, "You can't say you haven't noticed the bubbling of power within these individuals. While you were training to regain your Shinigami powers, they were each training on their own, as well. Stop with the questions and bow your head to thank them."

"A...A cat talked!" Ichigo cried, pointing at Yoruichi in shock.

"Hey, now, Ichigo. Keep your voice down. You'll wake the neighbors," Yui chided gently as she came out from Urahara's Shop.

"Good morning, Yui-san!" Orihime said.

"Good morning, Orihime," Yui replied with a smile.

"Who are you, and how do you know my name?" Ichigo asked none-too-politely.

"Ah, my apologies. My name is Kamikaze Yui and Kisuke told me your name," Yui explained as she took Kisuke's cane and jabbed herself in the chest with it. Her soul immediately left the Gigai. She now wore a Shihakusho with her aikuchi tied to her waist. Her long, red hair was in its signature loose ponytail, slung over her left shoulder. Kisuke handed her a black overcoat, which she put on to mask her reiatsu..

"She's going with you, too, Kurosaki-san," Kisuke told Ichigo, "Anyway, let's go inside and talk."

Everyone followed the shop owner down into the underground training room of the store.

"W-Wow!" Orihime exclaimed, clapping her hands together, "Such a huge space under the store, it's so cool! It's like a secret base!"

"Really?" Ichigo asked nonchalantly.

Tessai popped out of nowhere and grabbed Orihime's hands with one hand. He used to the other hand to wipe away his tears of happiness. "What a magnificent reaction!" he said, "I, Tessai, am deeply moved!"

"It was nothing," Orihime laughed as Ichigo sweatdropped.

"Okay, okay, your attention once again!" Kisuke called. Once he had everyone's attention, he said, "Here we go!" and snapped his fingers.

Four stone pillars appeared immediately, forming a rectangle in the space next to Kisuke. "All right, this is the gate that leads to Soul Society," he explained, "It is called the Senkaimon, and it means 'realm-penetrating.' Ready? Please listen _very _closely. But first..." He raised his cane and practically stabbed Ichigo in the back of the latter's neck. Ichigo's soul came out, similar to how Yui's did when she used the same method to exit her Gigai.

"Anyway," Kisuke continued, "This gate is made by piling spirit exchangers on top of the normal Senkaimon."

"Spirit exchangers?" Ichigo repeated.

"That's right," Kisuke confirmed, "As you know, Soul Society is a world of souls. Entering it is impossible unless you're in soul form. However, the only one of you who can move around in soul form is Shinigami Kurosaki-san. So we use an exchanger to turn you into spirits and send you there."

"Basically, even without pulling out our souls, if we go through this gate..." Uryuu said.

"Yes," Kisuke said, "You can enter Soul Society in your current state."

"Alright, we got it!" Ichigo said, walking forward, "Now, let's get sta...!"

"However," Kisuke interrupted, jabbing Ichigo in the side with his cane, "the amount of time we can open this gate and stay connected to Soul Society is at most four minutes."

"Can we even make it in that time?" Ichigo snapped, recovering from the pain in his waist.

"Normally, it's impossible."

"Huh?!"

"This _is _an unreasonable endeavor to begin with. The most we can stretch it is four minutes. If you can't reach the other side in that time, you kids will be permanently imprisoned in the space between Soul Society and the real world."

"What should we do?" Orihime asked nervously.

"Go forward," Yoruichi said, "I told you you heart and your soul are connected. The most important thing is the state of your heart. The will to move forward. Yui and I will be your guide. Move forward. That and that alone. Only those who can do that will come with us."

There was a short pause before Ichigo stepped forward. "Quit yer sleeptalkin'," he said, "That's the reason we gathered here."

"You understand, don't you, boy?" Yoruichi asked, "If you lose, you'll never be able to return here."

"All I have to do is win, right?"

"...Exactly."

The Senkaimon began to glow. "Everyone ready?" Kisuke asked, "Please jump in simultaneously when it opens."

The group of six prepared themselves to jump.

"Here it goes!" As soon as Kisuke finished speaking, the light from the Senkaimon became unbearably bright. When it dimmed, the six were gone.

* * *

_Ending Song: Thank You!_


	22. Enter! Soul Society!

_Chapter 22: Enter! Soul Society!_

_Opening Song: *~Asterisk~_

In the Dangai, the group of six were currently sprinting as fast as they could to avoiding the walls that were closing in on them. Yoruichi was in the lead, closely followed by Yui with the other four slightly lagging.

"What's going on? The wall is coming after us!" Ichigo shouted, looking back, "The path we've taken is rapidly falling apart!"

"If you got time to look back, step forward instead!" Yoruichi reprimanded, "If you get sucked into the wall, it's over!"

Somethign crashed down onto the ground behind the group, making Orihime cry out in shock. Suddenly, Uryuu felt something grab the back of his cloak. He let out a shout of surprise as he turned and saw that the walls of the Dangai had managed to take hold of his clothes. Chad seized hold of Uryuu and tore off the bit of cape, freeing the Quincy from the wall's grasp.

"Th-Tha...!" Uryuu started but stopped when Chad picked him up and started carrying him over one shoulder.

"Let's go," Chad said and the group started running again.

"Put me down, Sado-kun! I'll run on my own!" Uryuu protested fruitlessly. Suddenly, he stopped when he noticed something coming their way.

"Hey, everyone...!" he said, "Something...something is coming this way!"

With perfect timing, a circle of light appeared from the approaching walls, shining on the group. Something came charging forward at an alarming speed.

"What the hell is this?" Uryuu gasped as the thing drew closer and closer, moving much faster than the group could run.

"It's the Kototsu!" Yoruichi shouted, "Why does the cleaner that comes every seven days have to come now? Just run! This thing is insanely fast!"

The group began to run faster than ever as the Kototsu continued to close the distance. A white rectangle shone ahead, prompting the six to run even faster.

"Hurry up!" Yoruichi commanded, "The exit is close!"

Yet the Kototsu still got closer and closer. "No! We can't make it!" Uryuu yelled in despair, the cleaner now inches away from his nose.

Suddenly, Orihime whirled around and placed her hands to her hairpins. "Hinagiku, Baigon, Lily!" she cried, "Santen Kesshun! I reject!"

The three members of the Shun Shun Rikka flew out and formed a triangular shield, which the Kototsu slammed into seconds after the shield was created. A huge force was created by the collision, sending the group flying out of the exit. They landed on the ground in a huge cloud of dust outside of the Dangai, the opening closing up a few moments after.

Sado, Yui, and Orihime were the only ones who landed in a somewhat dignified position. Yoruichi was flat on her belly, her legs sticking out in four different directions. Uryuu had landed on his face and knees with his behind sticking up in the air. Ichigo's pose was the most amusing of all: ha had landed on his back so that he was facing the sky. The lower half of his body was bent over his upper half so that his legs were lying over his shoulders.

"Wow! Kurosaki-kun's landing is very artistic!" Orihime praised.

"Shut up!" Ichigo muttered.

Uryuu got up, rubbing his head. "Jeez...that was awful...This was unexpected." He reached under his Quincy clothes and pulled out a spare cape. "I didn't think I would have to use my spare cape so early..." he grumbled.

Chad and Ichigo stared. "This guy...even brought a spare...?" Ichigo asked as though he couldn't believe his eyes.

"But it's great that no one is hurt!" Orihime said.

"What's so great?!" Yoruichi snapped, delivering a painful headbutt to Orihime's skull.

"Ooowwww...!" The teenage girl whined, holding her bruised forehead.

"Were you not listening to me?" Yoruchi scolded, "It was alright because only the shield part hit the Kototsu. If anything else hit, you wouldn't have your life!"

"I...I'm sorry..." Orihime apologized, looking very dejected.

"Whatever, there's no need to get that angry," Ichigo cut in, "Because of Inoue, we all got out uninjured."

Yoruichi turned her wrath onto Ichigo. "You...seem to not understand the magnitude of this situation!"

"Now, now, Yoruichi," Yui coaxed, "What's done is done. Orihime's actions were somewhat reckless and dangerous, and I'm sure she won't try it again. Especially not after you hammered it into her head like that."

"I really am sorry, Yoruichi-san," Orihime added.

The black cat glared for a moment longer before saying in a disgruntled voice, "You should be."

The group took a look at their surroundings for the first time.

"So...this is Soul Society?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah," Yoruichi replied in a calm voice, "This is a place called Rukongai. This is the first place a soul that was shown the way to Soul Society lives, and is located outside the Seireitei, where the Shinigami lives. Within Soul Society, this is the place where the poorest, most free, and most abundant souls live."

"But there seems to be nobody around..." Uryuu said.

Suddenly, Ichigo noticed something about the group of buildings bordering Rukongai. "What's that?" he asked, "That town over there has a different feel."

"Yeah," Yoruichi confirmed, "That's the..."

"I know!" Ichigo interrupted, "That's the town where the Shinigami lives! Alright!" He began to run in that direction, to Yoruichi's and Yui's chagrin.

"Wait, Ichigo!" Yui called.

"F-Fool! You can't just go there! You'll die!" Yoruichi yelled.

"Eh?" Ichigo, still running in that direction, turned his head to ask.

Just then, a wall came dropping down from the sky, crashing into the ground right in front of Ichigo. More walls came down next to it, obscuring the entire Seireitei from the group's vision. A giant cloud of dust rose up, making Ichigo cough and shield his eyes.

"It's been a while..." someone said, "...since the last time without an entry pass tried to go through these gates."

Ichigo raised his eyes to see an extremely large and muscular man standing in front of the gate. The stranger's hair was tied into a ponytail with hung to his waist. He had long sideburns, which continued down onto his neck and was long enough to tie into two small, ponytail-like tufts. He wore armor on his left shoulder and upper arm and a red hat with tassels. The left side of his chest was exposed by his uniform.

"My first customer in a long time..." the giant man said, "Welcome, brat."

He suddenly raised an ax and brought it down on the ground near Ichigo. "Come attack me, any way you want," he laughed.

"He's huge..." Uryuu murmured, "What is he? A human can't be that big...Who is he?"

"His name is Jidanbou," Yoruichi explained, "He is one of the chosen warriors of Soul Society. He is the gatekeeper of the first seireimon, otherwise known as Hakutoumon."

"Gatekeeper," Uryuu repeated, "So that means in order for us to go in, we must defeat him."

"That's right. But it's not so easy. Ever since he was appointed 300 years ago, only this Hakutoumon has never been breached. He is the holder of legendary strength."

"How should we fight such a menace?"

"That's where we show intelligence," Yoruichi explained, "Here, we should all compose a plan. Hey, Ichigo...What?!" While Yoruichi had been talking, Orihime and Chad had dashed forward to where Ichigo was about to fight the gatekeeper.

"Hey, Sado! Orihime! Come back! You both COME BACK!" Yoruichi screeched, fur bristling.

The two of them ignored the cat's calls and continued to approach the gate. Jidanbou raised his ax again and smashed the ground again, this time, raising a wall of stone that prevented Chad and Orihime from getting any closer.

"You guys...are not well-mannered!" Jidanbou chided, "I bet you're villagers! Listen closely: in this city, there are rules. One, wash your hands when you're coming from outside. Two, don't eat anything that fell on the floor. Three, when dueling, only one person at a time! My first opponent is the orange-headed kid. Until it's over, you have to stay where you are!"

"Hey, Chad, Inoue!" Ichigo called.

"Kurosaki-kun! Are you okay? Are you wounded?" Orihime asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine!" Ichigo replied, "Can you and Chad just stay put?"

"Wh-What? What are you saying? Kurosaki-kun, that's...!" Orihime began to protest.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry. Just wait!" Ichigo cut across her.

Chad approached the stone wall. "Can you do it?"

Ichigo rubbed his neck, sizing up Jidanbou. "Hmm...probably."

Uryuu looked like he wanted to argue some more, but Yui stopped him. "It's alright, Uryuu. Ichigo can handle this." The Quincy reluctantly fell silent.

"You done talkin'?" Jidanbou asked Ichigo.

"I don't remember ever asking you to wait," Ichigo retorted, pulling out Zangetsu.

Jidanbou felt a twinge of anger. "You are also a villager. You got no manners!" He raised his ax and yelled, "If someone waits for you, it's 'THANK YOU'!" He swung down, engulfing Ichigo in yet another cloud of dust as the ax collided with its target.

As the smoke began to clear, Jidanbou's eyes widened. Ichigo had raised his zanpakuto and blocked the ax with one arm!

"You...!" Jidanbou started.

"Doesn't attacking before someone's prepared mean that you're not well-mannered?" Ichigo asked.

Jidanbou glared at Ichigo for a second longer before he started laughing. The wind caused by his laughter made Ichigo stagger backwards slightly. "You do quite well!" the gatekeeper praised, "That's great! It's been decades since my ax has been stopped! Alright then...today, for the first time in a while, I get to fight with full force!" He stood up, towering over the orange-haired teen. "Out of everyone who tried to go through these gates, 3 including you have been able to stop my first attack. But no one has ever stopped this second attack!" With that said, he raised his ax again and swung down once more with much greater force.

Using one arm, Ichigo blocked it once more, although this time, it was quite obvious the effort strained him.

"Good! You're still up!" Jidanbou yelled, "It's still coming! Take this! Juppon Jidanda Matsuri!" He began to attack consistently, counting as he brought down his ax on Ichigo's sword.

"One! Two! Three! Four! Five! Six! Seven! Seven! Eight!" Jidanbou was starting to get tired at this point, "Er...six! Eight!" He raised his ax high, "Now for the finale!" He attacked sideways, cutting off the top half of the stone wall in the process.

Suddenly, his ax was stopped. "Wh...What?" he cried in disbelief.

The rest of the stone wall crumbled to reveal Ichigo still standing with Zangetsu blocking Jidanbou's ax.

"What the...you...how can you still be up?" Jidanbou asked, unwilling to believe his eyes.

"He is standing...Kurosaki is still standing!" Uryuu stated, surprised.

"You finished?" Ichigo asked Jidanbou. he held Zangetsu in front of him, "Well then, this time I'm attacing!"

Jidanbou balked slightly. "It's not over! It's not over yet! I still haven't used all of my moves!" He reached inside his uniform and pulled out a second ax. He raised both arms, breaking the armor on his left in the process. "Take this!" he shouted, "My final move! Banzai Jidanda Matsuri!" He swung both axes down on Ichigo.

"Sorry. I'm going to crush those axes," Ichigo declared. With one blow from his sword, he shattered both of the gatekeeper's axes to bits. The force of the attack sent Jidanbou flying back.

The giant sat up, his eyes falling on the remainders of his axes in his hands. He stared silently, almost as though he had forgotten that Ichigo was there.

"Hey, say something," Ichigo said, unable to stand the silence.

"My...ax...!" Jidanbou broke down crying. He started beating both fists on the ground, making the earth tremble with every beat. "It broke! It's broken! My ax broke!"

Ichigo sweatdropped and rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Er...ehm...I'm sorry...for breaking your ax...There was no need for me to break both! ...Right?" The apology came out unsure and flustered.

Jidanbou bowed his head, still crying. "Y-You...are a great guy!" He lifted his head to stare at Ichigo, tears still flowing from his eyes. "You and I are enemies...Yet you still worry about me! How grand! How grand a person you are!" He gripped Ichigo's shoulders.

"Err...well, if someone is crying that hard in front of me, I feel like I have to comfort..." Ichigo trailed off, unsure of what to say.

Jidanbou stopped crying his eyes out. He stood up. "Compared to that, what am I?" he asked himself, "I'm crying like a sissy just because my ax broke! As a man, I'm pathetic!"

"There's no need to say that Jidanbou," Yui said, approaching the gatekeeper, "This is the first time you've been defeated in 300 years. That's very impressive."

Jidanbou's eyes widened and he threw himself back onto his knees and touched his head to the ground. "Yui-sama!" he cried, "My humblest apologies! I did not see you there!"

"It's perfectly alright, Jidanbou, and please get up," Yui waved a hand.

Jidanbou sat up. "It's great to see you again, Yui-sama, but if you don't mind my asking, where have you been all these years?"

"I had some...business to tend to in the real world," Yui replied, "How is he doing?"

"Been getting sick more often, Yui-sama," Jidanbou replied, "He knows that you are still alive, but that doesn't stop him from worrying. He's going to be so happy when he finds out that you're back and well."

"I see," Yui sighed, "Thank you, Jidanbou."

"Any time, Yui-sama, any time," the giant said, "Now, I suppose I should open the gate for you all since I lost the battle." He turned around and grasped the bottom the gate securely with both hands. With a grunt, he began to pull, lifting the gate with his enormous strength. The group watched in awe as Jidanbou hefted the gate onto his shoulders...and suddenly stopped with a look of dread on his face.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Ichigo asked, going through the opened gate. Finally noticing what made Jidanbou start sweating bullets, he stopped too.

A man with silver hair, eyes narrowed to slits, and a mocking smile stood before them, wearing the Shihakusho and a white haori over it.

"That's...!" Yoruichi started.

"Ichimaru Gin..." Yui finished.

_Ending Song: Thank You!_


	23. One Who Hates Shinigami

_Chapter 23: One Who Hates Shinigami!_

_Opening Song: *~Asterisk~_

Jidanbou trembled in fear in front of the silver-haired captain of the 3rd Division. Yoruichi made a frustrated noise while Yui's eyes narrowed by a fraction.

"Who...is that?" Ichigo wondered.

"Captain of the 3rd Division, Ichimaru Gin," Yoruichi replied.

"Hmph...this ain't good," Gin said, the smile never leaving his face.

Out of nowhere, a streak of light shot past Jidanbou's left arm. It left a deep gash in the gatekeeper's limb. Blood gushed from the wound as Jidanbou let out a roar of pain and sank to his knees, the gate still on his shoulders.

"Jidanbou!" Ichigo shouted.

"Ain't good..." Gin repeated nonchalantly, as though he didn't just attack and wound the gatekeeper, "The gatekeeper ain't here to open the gates."

"I lost...!" Jidanbou explained to Gin defiantly as he struggled to hold up the heavy gate with one arm, "It's only normal for a gatekeeper to open the gates if he is defeated!"

Gin's smile widened, showing his upper teeth. "What're you sayin'?" he asked the giant. He took a few steps forward, saying, "A gatekeeper who lost ain't gonna open the gates. A gatekeeper's defeat..." Gin's smile grew sinister, "...means death."

Jidanbou's shaking grew more prominent as he met the captain's sadistic stare. Ichigo suddenly dashed forward and swung Zangetsu at Gin, who blocked it with the wakizashi kept at his waist. The two of them clashed for a brief moment before jumping apart.

"I-Ichigo!" Yoruichi yelled.

The orange-haired teen ignored the cat. He pointed his sword at Gin instead. "What the hell are you doin', bastard!" he snapped.

"That's _my _line!" Yoruichi muttered.

"Don't bother us if you just got here, you damn fox!" Ichigo continued to ignore Yoruichi and yell at Gin, "Any bastard who tries to kill someone unarmed will be slain by me!"

Gin scoffed, "Heh. A funny boy...! You ain't afraid of me?"

"Not at ALL!" Ichigo retorted.

"Even if he was afraid, I doubt Ichigo woul admit it," Yui mumbled to Yoruichi.

"Hey! Stop it, Ichigo!" Yoruichi was losing her patience, "We must retreat for now!"

Yoruichi and Ichigo proceeded to argue back and forth about the idea of retreating. A few moments later, Gin interrupted their argument, "So you are Kurosaki Ichigo?"

Ichigo turned back around to face Gin. "You know...about me?"

"Oh, so you really are..." With that, Gin turned around and began to walk away to the confusion of the group.

"H-Hey!" Ichigo shouted, "Where're you goin'? Come back!"

"If so, then I cannot allow you to pass," Gin declared, stopping. He held out his wakizashi so that the tip pointed to his right. The blade glinted in the sunlight.

"What are you doing so far away?" Ichigo asked, bewildered, "Are you going to throw that wakizashi?"

"This is not a wakizashi," Gin corrected, "This is my zanpakuto." That said, Gin proceeded to turn around and point the tip of his zanpakuto at Ichigo. "Shoot 'em dead, Shinso!" he commanded.

The blade of Gin's zanpakuto extended at an alarming speed. Ichigo barely managed to block it with Zangetsu, but the force of the push was so powerful that he was sent flying backwards. The teen crashed into Jidanbou, who was also dislodged from his place under the gate. Both of them were forced back a considerable distance away from the gate and out into Rukongai.

Without its support, the gate began to fall. After he retracted his zanpakuto, Ichimaru Gin walked up so that he was right behind the gate. The captain bent down and waved his hand at the group. "Bye bye!" he called mockingly before the gate hit the ground once more, sealing off Seireitei to Ichigo and his friends.

"Kurosaki-kun, are you alright?" Orihime asked, running up to Ichigo.

"The gate!" Ichigo shouted, looking in the direction of Seireitei. "Dammit!" he cursed when he saw the gate closed.

"Seems like you're okay," Yoruichi said.

"Sorry...Because of me, the gate..." Ichigo apologized.

"It's not your fault," Yui reassured, "This was inevitable against someone like Ichimaru Gin." _At least he didn't see me, _she added silently, _I don't think he did. Jidanbou was blocking his view of me and this overcoat of Kisuke's hides my reiatsu._

"We should be glad you're not injured," Yoruichi added.

There was a long moment of silence before the group noticed that they were being watched. A large group of people were hanging around the houses in the Rukongai district, staring over at the six and Jidanbou and muttering among themselves.

"Who...are they?" Ichigo mused.

"So they were hiding this whole time," Uryuu said.

"But why?" Orihime asked.

"We were feared," Yoruichi informed them, "Spirits who have come to Soul Society without Shinigami's supervision are called Ryoka, and are therefore considered to be the cause of all sorts of havoc."

"So they think we're enemies?" Ichigo asked.

The people began to approach the six. Orihime, Chad, and Uryuu immediately got into defensive positions, thinking that the people were going to try to attack them.

"Please hold on," an elderly man said, making his way to the front of the crowd. He bowed once and said, "I am the chief of Rukongai. I have witnessed the whole event. As saviors of Jidanbou, I would like to welcome you all."

* * *

"Many Shinigamis are arrogant and generally assholes," one man from Rukongai said as they gathered around the wounded Jidanbou, "Jidanbou-san is from Rukongai. He was always kind to us."

Another man spoke to Ichigo, "You went against Ichimaru Gin for Jidanbou-san. So you're probably a good person. But anyway, what a bad injury."

Orihime looked up from where she was examining Jidanbou's arm. "Everyone relax! I will heal Jidanbou-san!" she reassured.

"Huh, Inoue? You can heal him?" Ichigo repeated.

"Yep, leave it to me!" Orihime held her hands out in front of her, "Shun'o! Ayame!"

"Hello!" Shun'o greeted after he came out from Orihime's hairpins, "Need us for something?"

"Please lend me your powers," Orihime answered.

"Of course! We are your powers!" Shun'o reminded, "You just have to want it! Please say the kotodama!"

Orihime nodded and said clearly, "Soten Kisshun! I reject!" Ayame and Shun'o immediately created a glowing, golden barrier that covered the gash on Jidanbou's arm.

* * *

That night, the group were staying at the chief's house, discussing their next course of action, when there was a loud rumbling sound coming from somewhere outside the house.

"Huh? What's this noise?" Ichigo wondered out loud.

Everyone turned their heads toward the front door. "I wonder what it is," Orihime said.

Right after she finished speaking, there was a loud crash as the wooden door was knocked down and a man came flying into the room with a yell. Orihime answered with a scream of her own as everyone stood up in shock.

"Who the hell is this guy?" Ichigo shouted, staring at the newest arrival.

As the guy rubbed his bruised head, a boar came trotting into the room, snorting and glaring at the occupants.

"Woah! A boar!" Ichigo cried, "How...why...is there a boar?"

"Damn," the guy said, now dusting himself off, "I was shaken off by Bonnie-chan again." After his clothes were cleaned, he did a two-fingered salute. "Yo! It's been a while, O-chan!"

"Ganju!" the chief snapped, "What are you doing here? Go away!"

"What's up with the attitude?" Ganju asked, "I came to visit you for the first time in a while! Quite rude. Your guests seem shocked!" He looked around the room at the others and his eyes stopped on Ichigo. His grin vanished almost immediately as he scrutinized the Shinigami.

"What the...?" he muttered, taking off his flashy glasses, "Why the fuck is there a Shinigami here?"

"What do you want?" Ichigo asked warily.

"What do you mean what do I want?" Ganju snarled, walking up to Ichigo, "I'm askin' why a fucking Shinigami-sama is here!" He started patting Ichigo's cheek, to the annoyance of the latter.

"Huuuh?" Ganju asked when Ichigo didn't answer. He grabbed Ichigo by the chin, "Say somethin', you dandelion head!"

Quick as lightning, Ichigo punched Ganju in the face, sending the man soaring through the air and landing on the floor by the door.

Ganju jumped back up and started yelling, "What the hell are you doing bastard! You wanna fight me?"

"That's _my _line!" Ichigo retorted, holding up his fist, "You came up to me all of a sudden with a big fucking attitude, you boar-savage!"

"A boar-savage?" Ganju repeated as the two of them got into an argument.

"What's up with that guy?" Uryuu asked the chief, who was calmly sipping tea.

"So you guys don't know who I am, eh?" Ganju mused, "Hmph, I guess I have no choice but to tell you." He stood up and pointed to himself. "My name is Ganju!" he announced, "Self-proclaimed as Rukongai's Deep Bullet! Self-proclaimed as North Rukongai's number one person to call aniki, 14 years in a row! And finally, self-proclaimed as North Rukongai's number one Shinigami hater!"

"They're all self-proclaimed!" Yoruichi, Orihime, Chad, and Uryuu realized.

"Hmph, what a moron!" Ichigo said, waving his hand around indifferently.

"What...?" Ganju growled.

"What."

With a battle cry, Ganju jumped at Ichigo, catching the latter around the middle and tackling him out into the street.

"Kurosaki!"

"Kurosaki-kun!"

Orihime and Uryuu were stopped by more people sitting on boars.

"Oh, hold on, hold on," one of them said, "We're not gonna let you get in the way of aniki!"

"If you must fight someone, you gotta fight us!" Another one declared.

"Hurry up and get outta here!" Ganju shouted at Ichigo, "While I'm alive, I'm not gonna let any Shinigami set foot on North Rukongai!" His yelling was stopped as Ichigo slammed a foot into his face and sent him toppling backwards.

"Damn, that's enough!" Ichigo grumbled, rubbing his sore cheek, "If you wanna fight, I'm up for it!"

"You bastard!" Ganju said, holding his nose as he got to his feet, "Not just one but twice that you punched my beautiful face!"

"The second one was a kick, moron!"

There was a short pause before Ganju said, "It seems like it's our destiny to fight each other." He unsheathed the sword that he kept at his waist and charged at Ichigo.

"This is bad! Kurosaki doesn't have his zanpakuto!" Uryuu said.

Chad suddenly came running out of the house and through the bandaged Zangetsu to Ichigo, who caught it. "Thank you, Chad!"

"How big! So that's you zanpakuto!" Ganju shouted, "But...don't think that you can defeat me with just a big sword!" The two of them collided, sword on sword, neither of them willing to let up.

Ganju drew a circle in the dirt with his foot and stomped in the center. He used one hand to puch down on Ichigo's zanpakuto, forcing it deep into the earth. "Sink!" he commanded.

"Wh-What the?" Ichigo cried as Zangetsu's entire blade was buried easily in the dirt.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ganju swung his foot and dealt a powerful kick to Ichigo's face, forcing the latter away from the buried Zangetsu. Ichigo landed a few feet away, rubbing his cheek.

"Bastard! What's up with that weird trick?" he hollered.

Ganju answered by bringing his sword arm down, Ichigo caught him by the wrist and punched him in the face. Ganju retaliated by hitting Ichigo in the face as well. This exchange of blows continued for some time, and only ended when Ichigo seized his adversary by the front of his shirt and threw him.

Ganju got to his feet again and charged at Ichigo, who prepared himself for another round of fighting. Suddenly, an alarm clock that was strapped to the back of one of Ganju's minions went off, making Ganju skid to a halt just a few feet from Ichigo, who stared in confusion.

"Hey, what time is it?" he yelled to his minions.

"We got a situation! It's already 9!" One of his minions replied with panic in his voice.

"Are you serious?" Ganju yelped, "Come on, Bonnie-chan!" He stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled.

A rumbling started up behind Ichigo, who felt something fly past right over his head, taking out a few strands of his hair in the process. Ganju got onto his boar, which started to run away at once.

"Hold it!" Ichigo yelled, "You're running away?"

"The hell I am!" Ganju retorted, "You dandelion! I'll settle the score with you tomorrow, count on it! Until then, wait there quietly! Don't turn into a seed and float away to escape! Let's go, guys!"

Ichigo's protests were lost as Ganju's four minions rode after their leader, all of them disappearing in the distance.

"Goddammit!" Ichigo screeched at the top of his lungs, "WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS?!"

_Ending Song: Thank You!_


	24. New Plan: Shiba Kuukaku

_Chapter 24 - New Plan: Shiba Kuukaku_

_Opening Song: *~Asterisk~_

The next morning found Ichigo clinging to the floor for life while Uryuu pulled on his Shihakusho's pant legs, trying to get the stubborn Shinigami to move.

"Quit jerking around and come on!" Uryuu shouted.

"I don't wanna!" Ichigo protested, "He'll think I ran away!"

"Let him think it!" Uryuu retorted.

"No! When he comes, I'll beat 'im quick then catch up to you, so go ahe...!" Ichigo's yelling was cut off as Yoruichi scratched him across the face with her kitty claws. Ichigo's howl of pain could probably be heard miles away.

"Has so much blood rushed to your head that you've forgotten our original goal?" Yoruichi scolded, "Damn fool. Don't tell me you've forgotten Rukia's life depends on our journey. We don't have time for a chest-thumping contest between you and that guy. If you understand, then get ready to move out!"

Yui reached for Ichigo's scratches, her hand glowing with the light of healing Kido. "Want me to heal those for you?" she asked gently.

"Ah, thanks, Kamikaze-san," Ichigo said as the redhead took care of the cuts that Yoruichi gave him.

"Anyway, let's hurry up," Yoruichi began to walk out the door, "We've wasted enough time here already."

* * *

"Have you heard about the attempted intrusion?"

"Yeah. Kiyone and Sentaro told me about it."

"What do you think?" Kyouraku Shunsui took a sip from his cup of sake.

"I don't think it's her," Ukitake Jushiro answered honestly, "If she wants to come back to Seireitei, she could easily come in through a Senkaimon instead of raising an uproar to get Genryuusai-sensei's attention."

"But she tends to be unpredictable sometimes," Shunsui argued, refilling his cup, "Remember when she jumped out that window from the second floor of the Academy to escape a teacher and nearly gave you a heart attack?"

Jushiro snorted in exasperation. "She wouldn't have done that if she had known I was ill."

"No, she would've allowed herself to get caught so her Snowdrop wouldn't end up in the Healing Bay due to near heart failure," Shunsui teased, enjoying the annoyed look that flashed across his friend's face.

"Don't call me that," Jushiro admonished.

"Okay, okay," Shunsui relented, "Anyway, you're probably right since she's not as reckless now as she was back in the Academy. But if it is her, then we'll have to get her back for causing an uproar in Seireitei without us."

* * *

Yoruichi led the group along the outside of a small patch of woods, searching for the house of Shiba Kuukaku. After a long and painful hour of Ichigo complaining, the house was finally found.

Shiba Kuukaku lived in a somewhat normal-looking house except there were two human arms sticking out of the ground, holding up a banner that said 'Shiba Kuukaku' on it and a very tall chimney-like structure behind it.

"This is nostalgic," Yui commented, "It's been a very long time, but I still remember this place clearly."

They began to walk forward, but two voices rang out as they approached the house. "Halt!"

Two figures rose on the hands of the statues. "Who are you infidels? What strange garb you wear! And I see one of you is a Shinigami!" They jumped down, landing in front of Ichigo. "Suspicious strangers, I, Koganehiko and...!"

"I, Shiroganehiko...!"

"...shall never let you pass!"

"Leave!" Shiroganehiko ordered.

"Otherwise, you shall die here!" Koganehiko threatened.

Ichigo made a noise of impatience. "Che. More gatekeepers? Man, Soul Society's full of hassles."

Yoruichi poked her head out from behind Ichigo's legs, catching the attention of Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko. She pointed at herself, and Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko's eyes widened.

"Yoruichi-dono!"

Yoruichi then proceeded to point at Yui, who smiled at the two men. Their eyes looked ready to pop out now.

"Yui-dono!"

As they were led down the stairs, Ichigo and the other three humans turned to Yui. "Kamikaze-san, you know Kuukaku, too?"

"Yes," Yui replied, "I met her through Yoruichi and Kisuke."

"Come to think of it, you are friends with Jidanbou-san as well, aren't you?" Orihime realized, reembering how Jidanbou had kneeled in front of Yui, "He called you 'Yui-sama.'"

"Kamikaze-san," Uryuu started, "were you, by any chance, a member of Soul Society before you met us?"

Yui smiled, "I am."

"Ehhhh?" Ichigo gaped in shock, "So that sword you have is a zanpakuto?"

"Yes, it is."

Ichigo looked ready to explode. "If you have a zanpakuto, why didn't you take care of Ichimaru Gin back there? Wait, why didn't you even say anything?"

"Ichigo," Yui began, making the orange-haired teen fall silent, "You saw me in my Shihakusho back when we were getting ready to leave the Urahara Shop. As for Ichimaru Gin, what do you think would happen if Seireitei were to find one of their captains dead? Me fighting him would have attracted a lot of unwanted attention, not to mention the fact that I don't like to fight anyways."

Ichigo grumbled something but didn't argue. Koganehiko stopped in front of a door. "Please wait here a moment," he told the six. There was a tapping noise from the other side of the door. "Y-Yes Master!" Koganehiko said. He kneeled in front of the doors and used both hands to pull them apart, revealing Kuukaku sitting and waiting for them.

"Yo," she greeted, "Long time no see, Yoruichi, Yui."

"K-Kuukaku's a...woman?" Ichigo, Orihime, Uryuu, and Chad gasped. They had believed that Kuukaku was a man.

"No one said she was a man," Yoruichi said.

"Don't be so quick to make assumptions, you four," Yui chided gently, amused by their reactions. She turned to Kuukaku, "Hello, Kuukaku. Mind if I borrow the spare room for a bit? My zanpakuto spirit wishes to speak to me."

Kuukaku waved her hand. "Go right ahead, Yui."

"Thank you." The redhead left the room and headed for the room. She slid open the door and entered, closing the door behind her and turning on a light. She walked over to the center of the floor and placed her zanpakuto on her lap while she sat in a meditating position. Yui closed her eyes and calmed her mind, slipping into her inner world.

The spirit of Tsuin Ryuu no Tatsumaki was waiting for her when she opened her eyes. Yui smiled and reached out both of her hands, encouraging her zanpakuto to touch its two noses to her palms.

Tsuin Ryuu no Tatsumaki was a great two-headed dragon. One head was a wind dragon with gray scales and stiff, white feathers sticking out from the area near its ears. The other head was that of a water dragon with blue scales and fin-like appendages on its cheeks and top of its head as well as down the dorsal side of its neck. Both heads harbored red eyes and sharp teeth. The scales on the dragon's body showed co-dominance between blue and gray, but it had one blue wing and one gray wing folded on its back.

"_It is about time you got here, Master,"_ the wind dragon's head said in a low, rumbling, and echoing voice.

"_Passing wind and flowing water do not wait for anyone, Master,"_ the water dragon said in the same voice, but more feminine. It tilted its head to the left. "_Look."_

Yui obediently turned to see the river Tsuin Ryuu no Tatsumaki had indicated. The zanpakuto's home comprised of a large field with tall grasses and an average-sized lake that the river flowed into. A strong wind gusted by, flattening the grass, lifting Yui's hair, and making borrowed overcoat flap at her ankles.

"_There is no need to be afraid," _the gray head soothed, "_You could not help what happened, and Jushiro will understand that."_

_"He, Shina, and Shunsui will be happy to see you again,"_ the blue head added, "_They won't be dancing with joy since you are practically invading Seireitei, but they still love you. In different ways, of course."_

"It's not just them I'm worried about," Yui said, "I also have to keep my presence unknown to Aizen, or he might try to hurt one of them to draw me out."

"_That overcoat you borrowed from Urahara Kisuke will keep your reiatsu hidden,"_ Tsuin Ryuu no Tatsumaki pointed out, "_And if you don't want people to see you, use that Kido spell called Kyakko to hide. I seem to remember you recommending it to Shunsui and Jushiro when they wanted to break into that teacher's office back in the Shin'o Academy."_

_"**Are you planning for the Seireitei invasion without me?"**_ A mocking voice sounded from behind Yui, who turned around to see her Hollow counterpart approaching them with a baleful smirk.

"_Yes, because all of your plans seem to involve gore and blood," _Tsuin said, shifting its great body into a more comfortable position on the grass.

"**_I'm a Hollow. I like blood and murder," _**Hollow Yui slung an arm around Yui's shoulders.

"We absolutely cannot kill anyone this time," Yui sighed.

"**_Yes, yes, I know. I was just pushing your buttons," _**Hollow Yui replied nonchalantly, "**_Are you going to go kick Aizen's__ ass?"_**

"I hope I won't have to," Yui answered, "I don't..."

"_**...want to get into any unnecessary fights. Yeah, yeah, I know,"** _Hollow Yui muttered.

"I'm just going as a support person," Yui explained to Hollow Yui and Tsuin Ryuu no Tatsumaki, "My job isn't to save Rukia. Instead, I'll be making sure the others don't die."

"_And looking for any evidence to prove Aizen's a traitor, correct?" _Tsuin Ryuu no Tatsumaki added pleasantly. The redhead nodded.

"_Do not hesitate to call my name if you should need to, Master," _the gray head reminded.

"_Aizen is not to be underestimated," _the blue head said, "_I'm sure that your inner Hollow will be willing to help as well." _Both heads turned to stare at Hollow Yui as though daring the latter to disagree.

Hollow Yui looked disgruntled. "**_I'll help,"_ **she agreed, "**_But you better make it a good fight with lots of blood!"_**

_Ending Song: Thank You!_


	25. The Bombshell

_Chapter 25: The Bombshell_

_Opening Song: *~Asterisk~_

A few days later, everyone was ready to break into Seireitei through Kuukaku's method launching them through the sky. Yoruichi's tail was in a strangely bent position, which Ichigo took notice of almost immediately.

"Yoruichi-san, your tail looks like those really bendy toothbrushes," he pointed out. Orihime, Chad, and Uryuu let out small gasps at the statement while Yoruichi's ears twitched angrily.

"Do you..." Yoruichi snarled as she turned to glare at Ichigo, "...have a problem with it?"

Ichigo turned as pale as flour. "N-No, as usual, it's a beautiful tail," he stuttered, wisely backing off.

"You don't remember?" Uryuu whispered in Ichigo's ear, "You're the one who did that."

"Huh? Me?"

"You seized her tail in your sleep and it took three of us to get you to let go," Yui informed him, "You'd be wise not to mention is again."

"I-I understand," Ichigo replied, staring warily after the black cat.

"Hey, what's going on with Ganju?" Kuukaku asked the group in general.

"If you mean where he is, he was downstairs reading something and mumbling," Ichigo answered.

"Wait one minute!" Ganju shouted dramatically as he arrived, "The hero always arrives late!" he declared, pointing at himself.

"What the hell is that get-up?" Ichigo asked insolently.

Ganju ignored Ichigo's tone. "Ganju-sama's personal battle costume," he said, striking a pose, "Cool, ain't it? I wouldn't lend it to you even if you cried and begged me. Serves you right."

"Everyone, are you ready for the cannonball?" Yoruichi asked.

"Yes," they replied.

Ichigo looked at the Kido orb in his hands and seemed to remember something. "Oh, now that you mention it, Yoruichi-san, Kamikaze-san, can you make a cannonball?"

Yoruichi narrowed her eyes slightly. "Eh, I wonder. Let's see, perhaps I'll try."

"Don't tell me this is your first time..." Uryuu trailed off.

"Well, set it down here," Yoruichi ordered. Ichigo obeyed and the group watched as Yoruichi jumped onto the orb and created a perfect cannonball. Then, Yui picked it up and also made a perfect cannonball.

"Are you jealous?" Yoruichi teased a depressed-looking Ichigo, "Are you jealous that Yui and I managed to accomplish in mere seconds what took you days to do?"

"Not fair," Ichigo grumbled quietly.

"Alright everyone!" Kuukaku shouted. She hit the side of the giant chimney with her fist, making a large hole appear, "Get in!"

Those who were going to Seireitei filed into the small space. Once Kuukaku resealed the opening, Yoruichi addressed them all.

"We're taking off at dawn. Listen, once we're in Seireitei, don't separate no matter what," Yoruichi said sternly, "If we encounter a captain, run away without a moment's heistation. Our objective is Rukia's retrieval, that's all. You must, under NO circumstances, take unnecessary risks!"

"If running away isn't going to work, at least don't give your opponent a reason to kill you," Yui added equally sternly.

Outside, the sun peeked over the treetops. Kuukaku unsheathed her dagger and stabbed it into the platform surrounding the giant chimney. Not wasting any time, she began the first part of the chant to launch the cannonball into the sky.

Inside the chimney, Yourichi commanded, "It's begun! Pour in your spirit power!" The seven of them began to focus their reiryoku into the orb. A blue sphere appeared around the group, ready to shoot out of the chimney.

Kuukaku finished the chant and fired the cannonball out into the sky. She got up and watched for a moment. "You be careful and come back to me, Ganju," she said quietly.

Meanwhile, the cannonball floated through the sky smoothly with some of the occupants watching as Kuukaku's house grew smaller and smaller. "There wasn't as much impact as I thought there would be," Ichigo commented.

"Fool, just you wait," Ganju warned, smirking.

The cannonball suddenly changed direction and began flying through the air at an alarming speed. Ganju quickly took out the scroll that contained the second part of the incantation out of his pocket. "In order to break into Seireitei safely, we need to regulate everyone's spirit power level uniformly," he announced, "So here's the deal: while you're touching this, you can feel the others' emission levels. I need you to regulate yourself so that you match the others!"

Everyone nodded and focused on that as Ganju began the continuation spell.

"Kurosaki-kun, that's a bit too much," Orihime informed softly so that she didn't disturb Ganju.

"O-Oh, really?" Ichigo asked, "S-Sorry."

"Kurosaki, lower it some more!" Uryuu said.

"I-I know!" Ichigo snapped, getting annoyed, "I've already decreased it a lot!"

"Ichigo," Chad said quietly.

"I said I know...!" Ichigo yelled, which promptly made Ganju accidentally repeat a line of the spell.

"Goddammit!" the Shiba howled, "You made me read the same line twice!"

"What the hell, dammit?" Ichigo retorted angrily, "That's my fault, too?"

"I lost my concentration because you were yellin' and screamin', dumbass!"

The two of them butted heads, growling as the other five looked on. Suddenly, Chad gestured to something outside of the cannonball. "Hey, look outside."

Uryuu and Orihime turned their attention to what Chad was looking at. "It's Seireitei!" Ganju said.

The cannonball approached the barrier that surrounded Seireitei. All seven of the occupants were watching its progress apprehensively. "We're going to hit it!" Ichigo said.

"No choice now. Everyone pour in all of your reiryoku!" Yui ordered. Everyone immediately obeyed, shoving as much of their spirit power into the orb as possible. Then, the cannonball collided with the barrier. Ripples of energy appeared from the point of collision. The cannonball hovered there, not passing through but not getting destroyed either.

Ichigo gritted his teeth. "Go through!" he shouted.

After a few more tense seconds, the cannonball slipped through the barrier. It burst inside of Seireitei, the seven of them hung in midair.

"Stay together!" Yoruichi yowled, "Right now, the cannonball has hit the shield and is dissolving, and they're only momentarily intertwined. Soon, it will begin to whirl, then burst and be destroyed. If we're separated at the moment, the shockwave will send us flying in different directions!"

As soon as she finished speaking, a whirl started up, forcing the seven to start spinning around and around.

"Everyone, grab the person closest to you!" Yoruichi commanded, "Don't let go no matter what!"

"Damn!" Ichigo said, holding onto Ganju.

"Damn yourself!" Ganju retorted.

Orihime let out a yelp as Chad slung her over his shoulder. Yoruichi sat down on Ichigo's shoulder. "I'm borrowing your shoulder!" the cat yelled. Yui grabbed a handful of Ichigo's hair. "Sorry!" she called as the orange-head yelped in pain.

"Ishida!" Chad yelled as he and the Quincy reached for each other. Uryuu was torn away at the last second, forcing him away from Chad and Orihime. Thinking fast, Chad released Orihime and dived for Uryuu, seizing the Quincy and throwing him towards where Orihime waited anxiously.

"Sado!"

As Chad went flying out of the vortex, Yui released Ichigo and reached for the giant. Right before they could reach each other, the shockwave sent all of them flying out into different parts of Seireitei. Five arrows of orangey-yellow light shot through the sky, gaining the attention of every single Shinigami in Seireitei.

_Ending Song: Thank You!_


	26. Old Friends

_Chapter 26: Old Friends_

_Opening Song: D-tecnoLife_

Yui crouched on the tree branch, hidden by the leaves, as she watched groups of Shinigami run by. Her reiatsu was hidden by the overcoat Kisuke lent her. She had pulled the hood up, hiding her noticeable red hair with it. Judging by their reiatsu, the other six had landed safely. Ganju and Ichigo were together and about to fight two Shinigami. Yoruichi was alone and unchallenged. Chad was also alone and seemed to be hiding in a tree, just like her. Uryuu and Orihime were stationary and there was a Shinigami near them, although they didn't seem to be fighting.

Yui did a quick scan for another four reiatsu: Ukitake Jushiro, Kyouraku Shunsui, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, and Yaguki Shina. Jushiro was at Ugendo, which was enough to tell Yui that he had had an attack recently. Shunsui was at the barracks of the 8th Division, and Yamamoto was at the 1st's. Shina was currently on the move, suggesting that she was searching for the intruders.

_Good, _Yui thought, _They're all still alive._ She raised a hand to her face and made a motion as though flicking something off of her nose. A green-and-white Hollow mask immediately appeared on her face, covering up her features. Anyone who had never met her face-to-face before would have no idea who she was. With her identity completely concealed, Yui jumped down from the tree and began to run to where Yoruichi was.

After a bit of running, her path was suddenly cut off by a short captain with spiky white hair and his lieutenant.

"Taicho!" the lieutenant, a tall female with strawberry blonde hair, said as soon as they spotted Yui.

The kid-captain reached for his sword. "Who are you? Are you one of those ryoka?"

"**_Yes," _**Yui answered in her Hollow voice, "**_I am a ryoka by Soul Society's standards. May I ask your name, Taicho-san?"_**

The captain unsheathed his zanpakuto. "Captain of the 10th Division, Hitsugaya Toshiro."

The woman drew her sword as well. "Lieutenant of the 10th Division, Matsumoto Rangiku."

Yui took a step back, falling into a defensive stance. "**_I am not here to fight you, Hitsugaya-taicho, Matsumoto-fukutaicho. All I'm supposed to do is keep an eye on my companions, and make sure they do not die during our mission."_**

"We will not let you pass!" Toshiro declared, "You are an intruder wearing a mask that looks suspiciously like a Hollow's. Letting you continue on your way would be a mistake."

Yui sighed in her head. _Such a stubborn kid, _she murmured to herself as she used a Shunpo to easily slip past the two. Her Flash Step was too quick for Toshiro and Rangiku to track with their eyes and even if the two of them gave chase, they wouldn't be able to catch up to the over-200-year-old Shinigami.

Keeping up the Flash Steps, Yui found Yoruichi in no time. The black cat hadn't moved from where she landed. "Using your mask already?" Yoruichi asked as Yui appeared.

"**_It's only to keep my face a secret,"_ **Yui answered.

Yoruichi stared at her with golden eyes. "You become more aggressive and sadistic with that on. Are you sure?"

"**_I can manage," _**Yui reassured, "**_I can only keep it on for three hours at a time. I should be able to resist the killing temptations for three hours."_**

Yoruichi shrugged. "If you say so."

"**_I'm going to run around and keep an eye on everyone," _**Yui told Yoruichi, "**_They're bound to run into a lot of trouble."_**

The redhead turned to leave but stopped when Yoruichi called to her. "Yui, leave Ichigo to me. Protect the others," Yoruichi said.

**_"Alright." _**Yui jumped off the roof and started running in the direction of where Chad was. As she rounded a corner, she was once more confronted by Shinigami.

This group of Shinigami had no lieutenants or captains, but they were very annoying and persistent. When they saw her, they started yelling and many of them unsheathed their swords. They began to rush at her, letting out war cries and holding their weapons aloft.

**_Beat them back with Hakuda! _**Hollow Yui urged, **_They're small fry. Just a good sock in the stomach will be enough to knock them down!_**

**_"Why do I put up with you?" _**Yui grumbled. She proceeded to deal the Shinigami swift and powerful blows, effectively incapacitating them. One Shinigami that she had knocked down got up again and tried to attack. Yui retaliated by simply grabbing him by the wrist and chucking him into a wall, not breaking her pace at all. Within seconds, all of the Shinigami were knocked out cold or rolling on the floor in pain.

Out of nowhere, she felt Orihime's and Uryuu's reiatsu flare slightly. The redhead immediately focused on their reiatsu and found that they were being chased by a giant mob of low-leveled Shinigami. Yui allowed herself a brief flash of amusement and quickly began to Shunpo to where the Quincy and the human were running for their lives.

After a while, she saw them. Jumping down from the roof, she began to run next to Uryuu. "**_How did you get such a large crowd on your__ tail?"_**

"Kamikaze-san?" Uryuu looked surprised, "Where did you get that mask, and what happened to your voice?"

"**_Both are methods of disguise,"_ **Yui answered, careful not to get too specific, "_**Do you want some help in getting away?"**_

"That would be..." Uryuu didn't get a chance to finish his sentence before Yui grabbed him in one hand and Orihime in the other. The Shinigami used a series of Shunpo to take them to the other side of Seireitei. They stopped on the roof of a building.

"W-Wow, Kamikaze-san!" Orihime applauded, "You're so fast!"

"**_Be careful, you two. I can't guarantee that I'll save you every time you run into trouble," _**Yui said and jumped down from the roof. She gave them one last nod before running off. She quickly focused on the individual reiatsus of Chad, Ichigo, Ganju, and Yoruichi. Chad still had not moved from his hiding spot, and there were no Shinigami near him. Ichigo had defeated his first opponent and was currently running around Seireitei with a group of low-leveled Shinigami on his tail. Ganju was the same, so Yui guessed that those two were looking for each other or something along those lines. Yoruichi was flitting from rooftop to rooftop, completely unbothered._  
_

Since there were no pressing matters currently on Yui's mind, she decided to pay a couple old friends a visit. "_**Bakudo No. 26: Kyakko." **_Hiding herself from view, she started walking towards the barracks of the 8th Division, wondering if Kyouraku Shunsui would be asleep at a time like this.

Shunsui was on the roof of the barracks when she arrived. His pink kimono was spread out on top of the roof with him lying on top of it. His hands were folded behind his head, and his sakkat was pulled over his face. There was a bottle of sake next to him and a blade of grass was between his teeth. Yui had a sudden urge to steal the grass and see how he would react, but she quickly suppressed it, not wanting to make her presence known just yet.

After a few moments, she left and began to make her way to Ugendo. Upon arriving, two young Shinigami nearly walked into her and Yui managed to move out of the way just in time. The two Shinigami walked on, continuing their argument about who would bring their captain tea. Yui watched them leave before heading for the back of Ugendo.

Jushiro's reiatsu was fluctuating slightly as an aftermath of a coughing bout he just had. Yui sat down outside the back, leaning against the wall, and watched the koi fish swim in the water while listening to Jushiro's occasional cough. After approximately three hours of sitting there, her mask cracked and fell from her face. Instead of donning it again since no one could see her anyway, Yui merely tilted her head back, letting the dying sunlight shine on her face.

_Ending Song: Houkiboshi_


	27. Reconstruction

**_Unbreakable Bonds is under reconstruction. It is going to be split into two stories: Crumble and Dissolve._**

**_Crumble is going to come out after its prequel, Shatter, is completed, so in the meantime, go and read Shatter._**

**_I have made some changes to Yui's zanpakuto's name as well as her personality. The details in Unbreakable Bonds are inaccurate, and this story will be taken down after Crumble is published._**

**_As for Shatter, I have no idea when I can finish it. It still has a long way to go, and I just started school again, so updates won't happen so quickly anymore. Sorry, but my classes assign way too much homework, and I get too easily distracted. I'm going to start having to hide my computer from myself so I can get my work done on time._**

**_Anyway, thanks for sticking with me! You guys are awesome! :)_**


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